Democrats bolster their outreach to AANHPI voters, a key constituency

 

Scene from the newest ad for the Harris / Walz campaign.

Contrary to some polls that say the major political parties have neglected Asian American voters, the Democrats continue to strengthen their outreach to that key voting bloc.

Today (Sept. 18), the Harris-Walz campaign released its third ad airing across the battleground states that speaks directly to Asian American voters.

Titled “My Mother," the newest ad focuses on Vice President Kamala Harris’ personal story for undecided voters who claim they don't know enough about the Democratic nominee interspersing her growing up as a child of immigrants with her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention last month.

FYI:

•  Watch "My Mother" ad for the Harris/Walz campaign
• Watch the first two ads Reduced and  The Seal.

The 60-second television and digital ad – the campaign’s third ad targeting Asian American communities in the last month – features Harris’ remarks at the Democratic National Convention paying tribute to her mother, who migrated to the US from India. It also spotlights the Vice President’s unshakable determination to stand up for the people, a value that has underpinned her extensive career in public service – from the courthouse to the White House.

Asian American voters in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin ,where Asian American voters cold determine the Nov. 5 outcome, will see “My Mother” across an array of digital channels like Meta, Snap, YouTube, Connected TV, iHeart Radio, and Pandora.  Starting this week, the ad will also air on nearly 70 different broadcast outlets serving diverse Asian American audiences – including The Filipino Channel (TFC), Crossings TV, Chime TV, SBS TV, KHMER TV, CNN-News 18, NTV Bangla, GEO TV, ITV Gold, TV Asia, and elsewhere.

“Vice President Harris has never forgotten the values she learned from her mother that have shaped her lifelong commitment to stand up for people – a story that millions in our communities can relate to,” says Andrew Peng, the Harris-Walz Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander spokesperson. “While Donald Trump looks to take us backwards, Vice President Harris will chart a new way forward to advance opportunity, dignity, and safety for the American people.”

Asian Americans, who make up the nation’s fastest-growing voting bloc, are a key part of the Harris-Walz campaign’s winning coalition and had the largest voter registration increase of any group compared to the 2020 election cycle.

However, a survey by AAPI Data, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Civic Empowerment Education Fund and Asian American Futures, released Sept. 9 found that 51% of Asian American voters in California said they have not been contacted by Democratic Party, and 59% said they were not contacted by the Republican Party.

With most of the effort going towards battleground states, California has not been the main focus of the Republican or Democrat campaigns. However, with about a third of the nation's Asian American population, the state survey results may give a good idea of the sentiments of all of Asian America.

With less than 50 days until Election Day, Team Harris-Walz will soon have dedicated Asian American voter engagement staff in every single battleground state, and the campaign is aggressively bolstering its efforts to reach Asian American voters in several ways – including through extensive paid media, virtual and in-person events, the mobilization of roughly a dozen grassroots affinity groups, and the rollout of a comprehensive fact sheet outlining how Vice President Harris and Minnesota Gov. Walz are delivering for Asian American communities.

“My Mother” is part of Team Harris-Walz’s historic $370 million in digital and television advertising reservations between Labor Day and Election Day. The campaign plans to launch additional digital, TV, radio, and print ads in the weeks ahead sharing Vice President Harris’ message and the dangers of Trump’s Project 2025 agenda directly with Asian American voters.

“AANHPIs are America’s fastest-growing demographic, and in critical battleground states, they could make the difference between winning and losing,” says Democratic National Committee spokesperson Nina Raneses in an interview with NBC. “The stakes couldn’t be higher, and the DNC will continue to make the case for the Harris-Walz ticket to AANHPI voters and pave the path to victory in November.”

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