Biden campaign believes AAPI voters are playing a critical role in elections; ramps up outreach

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A Biden campaign ad titled 'The America We Love" targets AAPI voters.

Outreach by the Democrats and Republicans to the historically neglected AAPI communities has never been greater. With just hours left before voters go to the polls, the effort to convince those sitting on the fence is ramping up.

The pursuit of those votes by the Democratic Party and the Biden for President  campaign are particularly noticeable because of approach of tailoring their outreach to takes note of the great diversity within the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. The recognition that AAPI voters could swing votes in congressional districts and states has not been lost. 

As of Thursday (Oct. 29) over 2.5 million AAPIs -- or almost a quarter of the 11 million eligible AAPI voters -- have voted early by mail or by dropping off their ballot, far exceeding early voting numbers at the same point in 2016.

Despite that impressive improvement, that means most AAPI voters still have not yet cast their ballots, perhaps waiting for this weekend or to vote on Tuesday.

The Democrats use of online strategies recognizes the tech-savvy AAPI ethnic groups and their reliance of the online sites for their shopping needs and to gather news and information, according to the latest Nielsen survey.

The AAPI community has the highest level of internet connectivity, connecting to TV through broadband and subscription video on demand faster than the general population, according to Nielsen. 

Asian Americans for Biden released their latest video Friday that includes AAPI celebrities, athletes, politicians and actors joining Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris in saying: “When we vote, things change. When we vote, we win.”

It features Aasif Mandvi, Anna Akana, Ashley Park, BD Wong, Connie Chung, Conrad Ricamora, Daniel Dae Kim, Darren Criss, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, George Takei, Harry Shum, Jr., Hudson Yang, Khizr Khan, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Tom, Lou Diamond Phillips, Lucy Liu, Maia and Alex Shibutani, Manish Dayal, Margaret Cho, Michelle Kwan, Mindy Kaling, Ming-Na Wen, Nik Dodani, Nikki SooHoo, Padma Lakshmi, Parvesh Cheena, Ravi Patel, Rosalind Chao, Sakina Jaffrey, Sandra Oh, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Tamlyn Tomita, Tia Carrere, and Yo-Yo Ma.

“Representation matters and in this election, we have an opportunity to be represented at the highest level. Joe will ensure that our voices are heard at all levels, starting with Kamala’s in the office of the vice president," said Dennis Cheng, senior adviser of external outreach for the Biden-Harris campaign.

Also, last week, the campaign released the second commercial of the Democrats' outreach campaign aimed at AAPI voters, titled "The America We Love."

The ads will air nationally on radio, digital and print platforms, as well as platforms in the key battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The campaign’s paid media program is active in a total of 16 states — including the above states in addition to Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Ohio.

According to the 2020 Asian American Voter Survey, Biden had a 24-percentage-point lead over Trump with Asian American voters as of the summer. But undecided AAPI voters still provide room for improvement.

The campaign declined to say exactly how much is being spent on the advertising push. However, in August, Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon released a memo saying Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders would be among the “key constituencies” targeted through a massive $280 million advertising spend.

Biden for President is committed to building a broad coalition that is diverse and inclusive. The AAPI Coalition is made up of more than 14 affinity groups, including AAPI Staffers for Biden, AAPI Veterans and Military Families for Biden, Chinese Americans for Biden, Filipino Americans for Biden, Hmong Americans for Biden, Japanese Americans for Biden, Korean Americans for Biden, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders for Biden, Queer AAPIs for Biden, South Asians for Biden, Taiwanese Americans for Biden, Thai Americans for Biden, Vietnamese Americans for Biden, and Young AAPIs for Biden.

Harris, the first Asian American on a Presidential ticket, praised the Biden campaign’s effort to reach a diverse selection of voters during the vice presidential debate on Wednesday.

“Joe and I are particularly proud of the coalition we’ve built around our campaign,” she said. “We probably have one of the broadest coalitions of folks that you’ve ever seen in a presidential race.”