Texas primary: AANHPI political influence diluted by GOP redistricting

MOCHI MAGAZINE

Texas is home to the nation’s fastest-growing AAPI population, but for many, the "Texas Miracle" feels more like a disappearing act at the ballot box. As the March 2026 primary currently underway Asian American voters are grappling with a political landscape that is simultaneously courting their vote and cutting their influence.

While the community’s numbers are surging, their collective voice is being intentionally muffled by GOP-led redistricting at the behest of Donald Trump. The redistricting is intended to increase the Republican's hold on the state's political leadership.

Unlike California's redistricting where voters decided to redraw the congressional district maps, Texas redistricting was forced on the voters by the GOP-dominated legislature, which voted on the measure in the middle of the night while most Texans were asleep. The state's voters had absolutely no say.

In what is known as he "Crack and Pack" strategy, lawmakers have used "surgical precision" to split heavily Asian neighborhoods in Fort Bend and Collin counties across multiple districts.

In Collin County’s CD-3, the share of Asian eligible voters was slashed from 10.8% to just 5.3% by shifting residents into the overwhelmingly white CD-4, which stretches all the way to the Oklahoma border.

In the Houston area, communities in Sugar Land—the most Asian town in Texas—were "fractured" and combined with rural populations hundreds of miles away to prevent them from forming a cohesive voting bloc.

Identity politics: A house divided

However, it is important to note that Texas AANHPIs are not a monolith, and the 2024 election proved it. While still leaning Democratic, the GOP has made significant inroads, particularly as voters move toward the center on economic issues.

Indian Americans remain a Democratic stronghold (55% Dem vs. 16% GOP), while Vietnamese Americans lean significantly more Republican (44% GOP vs. 30% Dem).

Chinese American voters are increasingly non-aligned, splitting almost evenly between both parties and a large 38% identifying as Independents.

Filipino Americans are often noted as being among the more liberal-leaning ethnic groups within the Asian community, even as they face pressure from GOP gains with minority voters. As a result the largest segment of FilAm voters (40%) vote Democrat as Republicans and independents split the remaining 60%.

Trump's immigration policies and the GOP's positions on other key issues have tilted the 2024 trend to the right back to the Democrats.

Issues beyond the pocketbook

Economic anxiety is high, but "non-pocketbook" issues are the real primary catalysts this cycle:

• Safety & Gun Reform: A massive 77% of AAPI Texans support stricter gun laws, a priority sharpened by recent tragedies in suburban hubs like Allen and Frisco.

• Fighting the "Land Bans": Proposals like Senate Bill 147, which targeted citizens from China and other countries for property ownership bans, have acted as a lightning rod, fueling fears of a return to "perpetual foreigner" exclusion.

• Education & Public Goods: There is fierce resistance to school vouchers, with most voters preferring to protect the public school districts (like Plano and Katy) that drew them to the suburbs in the first place.

View from the Edge

According to the Texas Secretary of State, more than 18.6 million Texans are registered to vote in the March 3, primary elections, a new record high. Early voting ends today, Feb. 27.

Democrat Taylor Rehme's upset victory three weeks ago in a special election for the Texas state senate by a double-digit margin in a district that voted for Trump in 2024, takes control from Republicans for the first time in decades serves as "a wake-up call" for the midterm elections.

Democrats are also heartened by the turnout in early voting, perhaps spurred by the highly contested race for the US Senate between Rep. Jasmin Crockett and James Talarico.

With roughly 80% of AAPI Texans feeling their interests are not well-represented in government, key strategies for 2026 include addressing economic concerns, increasing language accessibility, and building long-term local power.

However, even with the new enthusiasm and political wins, the redrawn congressional districts will definitely tamp down the AANHPI vote, which is not monolithic. However, both parties would be foolhardy to ignore the voters in this community, which could sway the results in competitive races.

In 2026, the "sleeping giant" of Texas politics isn't just waking up—it’s looking for a reason to stay in the room. As the AAPI community continues its streak as the fastest-growing demographic in the Lone Star State, the roadmap to 2026 is less about stump speeches and more about showing up where the parties haven't.

It may be too late for the primary but something to consider for the mideterms in November: To win the AANHPI vote in 2026, engagement can't be a last-minute flyer; it has to be a conversation.

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

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