Pew Analysis: Asian Americans base their vote on policy, not race

ANALYSIS

Republicans are in for a rude awakening if they think they can break up the Asian American vote which went heavily for Democrats in 2020 and 2022. The GOP has two Indian Americans vying for the Presidential nomination, one of which  could possibly be the Republican candidate for President, or more likely, selected as a running mate.

Nearly all Asian American registered voters (97%) say a candidate’s policy positions are more important than their race or ethnicity when deciding whom to vote for, according to a new analysis by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center.

A candidate's race, it appears, is not that critical to Asian American voters, the fastest growing voting bloc in the US. This sentiment is widespread among all major demographic subgroups of Asian registered voters. 

These findings are especially relevant as the 2024 US presidential election approaches. Two candidates of South Asian ancestry, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, are running for the Republican nomination.

At the same time, a 68% majority of Asian registered voters say it’s extremely or very important to have a national leader who can advance the concerns of the U.S. Asian community, according to a nationally representative Pew Research Center survey conducted from July 2022 to January 2023.

Much like other American voters, inflation is the top concern for Asian American registered voters, according to the Pew survey with 41% reporting it’s the most important issue facing the community they live in. 

Economic inequality (16%) is the second-most mentioned issue, followed by violent crime (11%) and racism (9%). Having violent crime and racism come in a distant third and fourth among Asian American concerns is somewhat of a surprise considering the surge in anti-Asian hate aattacks that have surged since the beginning of the COVID19 pandemic.

Althouh a candidate's race may not be the deciding factor for Asian American voters, 68% say it’s important to have a national leader advancing the concerns of the Asian American community, says the Pew survey.

Asian American voters tend to prefer the Democratic Party almost two-to-one: 62% are Democrats or lean Democratic, while 34% are Republicans or GOP leaners. Most Asian origin groups are majority Democratic. However, more Vietnamese registered voters identify as Republican than Democratic (51% vs. 42%).

Views of top issues also vary somewhat by nativity among Asian American registered voters – that is, based on whether they were first generation immigrants or if they were born in the US. The Pew survey, taken in the latter half of 2022 and early 2023, was focused on the six largest Asian American communities: Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese and conducted in those languages.

Asian registered voters born in the US are slightly more likely than immigrants to view economic inequality as the most important issue facing their community. However, importance of issues varies less by nativity than by party among Asian Americans.

Among the six largest Asian subgroups surveyed by Pew, inflation is consistently cited as the biggest issue facing Asian American voters’ communities.

In addition, the ranking of issues is largely similar across the diverse Asian communities, though some minor differences emerge:

• Japanese registered voters (28%) are more likely than Chinese (15%), Filipino (15%), Indian (13%) and Vietnamese (9%) voters to view economic inequality as the biggest issue facing their community.

• 15% of Indian registered voters say climate change is the most important issue facing their community. This is higher than the share saying the same among Filipino (7%), Chinese (6%), Japanese (6%) and Vietnamese (5%) voters.

Though Asian Americans make up only about 7% of the total US population, their communities are concentrated in key districts and states an d can tilt the election one way or the other. For example, the Asian American vote was a factor in tthe 2020 election where Georgia's electoral votes went to Democrat Joe Biden even though before the election, the state was thought to be a safe vote for the Republicans. Georgia's shift to the Democrats also gave that party a majority in the US Senate.

Asian American votes were also the deciding factor in Congressional races in California with its large Asian American communities and flexed their political muscles in New York, South Carolina, New Jersey, Michigan and Minnesota.

As a result, both major parties realize that the Asian American vote cannot be ignored and are making moves, with varying degrees of success, to influence Asian American voters in the upcoming 2024 elections.

Other surveys revealed that 50% of Asian Americans have a bachelor's degree or higher, more than any other ethnicity. College-educated voters of all racial groups is a demographic that has leaned towards Democrats in recent election cycles.

As the Pew results suggest, in choosing policy over a candidates' race, Asian American voters are more politically savvy than traditional strategists assumed in the past -- a result of racial bias -- and the Asian American electorate won't be swayed by appealing to ethnic loyalty.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.