First AAPI Presidential Forum in the history books

SCREEN CAPTURE

Panelists Richard Liu, Ester Lee and author Viet Nguyen question Andrew Yang at the AAPI Presidential Forum.

Entrepreneur advocate Andrew Yang, Hawaii's Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and tech billionaire Tom Steyer, three of the 19 Democrats vying for the Democratic nomination for POTUS, were warmly greeted by the Asian American audience at the AAPI Presidential Forum held Sunday (Sept. 8) in Costa Mesa, CA.

They flew to California after a full day of campaigning in New Hampshire Friday and Saturday in order to win over the state's movers and shakers and party activists.

Marianne Williamson who had earlier had committed to attend canceled because of a scheduling conflict.

The candidates were questioned by a panel consisting of journalists MSNBC's Richard Liu and Ester Lee and author Viet Nguyen.

Gabbard, whose military service included two tours in the Middle East and is presently a member of the Hawaii National Guard, emphasized her foreign policy credentials and military service. She wants to stop the US role as the world's policeman and get the US out of further foreign commitments.

Steyer, who announced that he qualified for the Democrats fourth debate in October, said “It isn’t like I just came to [politics],” As founder of political advocacy group NexGen America, he said, “I’ve been doing this for 10 years.”

Steyer, through a series of nationwide commercials, has been advocating for impeaching Donald Trump for years.

Steyer told the L.A. Times his candidacy is focused on fighting climate change and lessening the “corporate stranglehold” on government.

Yang, who opened the forum, revealed some intimate details of growing up as the only Asian kid in school in upstate New York. "You either take it, or you fight," he said. "I chose to fight. Being a skinny Asian kid, a lost a lot of those fights."

As usual, he was questioned about his Freedom Dividend, or a Universal Basic Income. In the forum format, he was better able to explain how it work, how he would finance it and the benefits that would come out giving every adult citizen $1000 a month.

He favors a public option for health care, climate change is “worse than you think” and urged investment in renewable energy and even relocating people away from rising seas.

The forum was put on by the AAPI Victory Fund, a super PAC that focuses on mobilizing voters in the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

Organizers from the Asian Americans Rising PAC and the AAPI Victory Fund called the forum significant in light of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders holding 28 seats in Congress and doubling the number of AAPI voters between 2016 and 2018.

“This is a first-in-a-lifetime event,” said Katie Kalvoda, president of the Asian Americans Rising PAC.

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Four candidates will address AAPI Democrats' presidential forum

Four Democratic presidential hopefuls — Tulsi Gabbard, Tom Steyer, Marianne Williamson and Andrew Yang — have accepted invitations to participate in a candidates forum hosted by Asian American groups.

“With 2 out of 3 AAPI Democratic presidential candidates confirmed to attend, we look forward to announcing the second wave of candidates as the momentum builds heading into our event in September,” said Shekar Narasimhan, chair and founder of AAPI Victory Fund.

The third AAPI candidate, California's Sen. Kamala Harris, who is Indian American, has apparently decided to skip the California event in favor of campaigning elsewhere.

The forum on Sunday (Sept. 8) is being hosted by the Asian American and Pacific Islander Victory Fund and Asian Americans Rising PAC, starts at 9 a.m. at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, CA.

The AAPI Democratic Presidential Forum is the showcase event of thethe AAPI Community Action Summit that begins today (Sept. 7). 

AAAPI leaders and advocates from across the country will gather to showcase the emerging progressive movement, which is based on the belief that the various AAPI communities are stronger when the work together with common purpose. 

California has the largest and most diverse population in the nation with a strong track record of early voting. Nearly 60% of California Democratic voters cast a ballot by mail in the 2016 Presidential primary.

Asian Americans will make up 13% of California's likely voters even though AAPI eligible voters make up 15% of adult voters, according to PPIC.

For the 2020 election, California will be voting even earlier than in previous years, as its primaries have been shifted to “Super Tuesday” in March, in order to have a greater influence on the Presidential nomination process.

With more AAPI voters than ever, delegate-rich California will receive ballots on the same day that Iowans head to their first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses. California outpaced Iowa in delegates needed for the Democratic Party nomination in 2016, 475 to 23.

Forum tickets can be obtained here.

The Costa Mesa forum falls days before the next official Democratic presidential debate in Houston. Ten candidates — including Yang and Harris — met the polling and donor thresholds necessary to participate Sept. 12.

Today (Sept. 7), a majority of the 19 remaining candidates will be making their pitch to the New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention to garner the endorsement of the party's local power brokers and activists, the ground troops necessary to win the nation's first primary in the nation on Feb. 11

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