Congressional Resolution introduced to recognize Filipino American History Month

Filipino American history is American history. To officially recognize October as Filipino American History Month, House Resolution 1504 was introduced by US Congressman Ed Case (Hawaii) on Sept 25, 2024 and Hawaii's US Sen. Mazie Hirono.

Hawaii's United States Senator Mazie Hirono introduced the companion measure in the Senate. 

“This month, we celebrate Filipino American History Month and recognize how the Filipino American community has contributed to our country’s diversity and helped to shape our identity as a nation," stated Hirono. "As we continue working to uplift the voices of Filipino Americans in Hawaii and across the country, I am proud to join my colleagues in commemorating Filipino American History Month, honoring the Filipino American community’s contributions and accomplishments, and celebrating their rich history and culture.”

The Members’ resolution, co-sponsored currently by an additional 33 Members, celebrates the long and distinguished history of Filipino Americans in the United States, where FilAms now number over 4.1 million, the third largest Asian American grouup, according to the US Census.

Initiated by the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) in 1992, the celebration of Filipino American History Month in October commemorates the first recorded presence of Filipinos in the continental United States, which occurred on October 18, 1587, when “Luzones Indios” came ashore from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Esperanza and landed at what is now Morro Bay, California.

FYI: Learn more about Filipino Americans

Across the nation, FANHS Chapters, colleges and universities, museums, and community groups will be commemorating Filipino American History Month with various activities and events to bring awareness of the significant role Filipinos have  in United States history and American culture.

On Oct. 25, Larry Itliong Day in California in honor of the labor leader who instigated the Delano Grape Strike. that led to the formation of the United Farm Workers.

Below is the text of the resolution: 

House Resolution 1504

H.Res.1504 - Recognizing the month of October 2024 as Filipino American History Month and celebrating the history and culture of Filipino Americans and their immense contributions to the United States.

H. RES. 1504

Recognizing the month of October 2024 as Filipino American History Month and celebrating the history and culture of Filipino Americans and their immense contributions to the United States.

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 25, 2024

Mr. Case (for himself, Mrs. Steel, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Moylan, Ms. Barragán, Mr. Bera, Ms. Chu, Ms. DelBene, Mr. Gomez, Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Peters, Ms. Porter, Mr. Sablan, Mr. Sherman, Ms. Titus, Ms. Tokuda, and Mr. Vargas) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability

Recognizing the month of October 2024 as Filipino American History Month and celebrating the history and culture of Filipino Americans and their immense contributions to the United States.

Whereas the earliest documented Filipino presence in the continental United States was October 18, 1587, when the first “Luzones Indios” arrived in Morro Bay, California, on board the Nuestra Señora de Esperanza, a Manila-built galleon ship;

Whereas the Filipino American National Historical Society recognizes 1763 as the year in which the first permanent Filipino settlement in the United States was established in St. Malo, Louisiana;

Whereas the recognition of the first permanent Filipino settlement in the United States adds a new perspective to the history of the United States by bringing attention to the economic, cultural, social, and other notable contributions made by Filipino Americans to the development of the United States;

Whereas the Filipino American community is the third largest Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander group in the United States, with a population of approximately 4,500,000;

Whereas, from 2000 to 2019, the Filipino American community grew 78 percent, and Filipinos are the largest Asian community in Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and West Virginia;

Whereas, from the Civil War to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, Filipinos and Filipino Americans have a longstanding history of serving in the Armed Forces of the United States;

Whereas more than 250,000 Filipinos fought under the United States flag during World War II to protect and defend the United States in the Pacific theater;

Whereas a guarantee to pay back the service of Filipinos through veterans benefits was reversed by the First Supplemental Surplus Appropriation Rescission Act, 1946 (Public Law 79–301; 60 Stat. 6) and the Second Supplemental Surplus Appropriation Rescission Act, 1946 (Public Law 79–391; 60 Stat. 221), which provided that the wartime service of members of the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines and the new Philippine Scouts shall not be deemed to have been active service, and, therefore, those members did not qualify for certain benefits;

Whereas 26,000 Filipino World War II veterans were granted United States citizenship as a result of the Immigration Act of 1990 (Public Law 101–649; 104 Stat. 4978), which was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on November 29, 1990;

Whereas, in 1991, the Filipino American National Historical Society made efforts to recognize October as Filipino American History Month for the first time;

Whereas, in 2009, Congress first recognized October as Filipino American History Month (S. Res. 298; H. Res. 780);

Whereas, on February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–5; 123 Stat. 115), which established the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund to compensate Filipino World War II veterans for their service to the United States;

Whereas, since June 8, 2016, the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program has allowed Filipino World War II veterans and certain family members to be reunited more expeditiously than the immigrant visa process allowed at that time;

Whereas, on December 14, 2016, President Barack Obama signed into law the Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015 (Public Law 114–265; 130 Stat. 1376) to award Filipino veterans who fought alongside troops of the United States in World War II the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress;

Whereas, on October 25, 2017, the Congressional Gold Medal was presented to Filipino World War II veterans in Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Building, a recognition for which the veterans had waited for more than 70 years;

Whereas Filipino Americans have received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that may be bestowed on an individual serving in the Armed Forces, and continue to demonstrate a commendable sense of patriotism and honor in the Armed Forces;

Whereas the late Peter Aquino Aduja of Hawaii and the late Thelma Garcia Buchholdt of Alaska became the first Filipino American elected to public office and the first Filipina American elected to a legislature in the United States, respectively, inspiring their fellow Filipino Americans to pursue public service in politics and government;

Whereas Filipino American farmworkers and labor leaders, such as Philip Vera Cruz and Larry Itliong, played an integral role in the multiethnic United Farm Workers movement, alongside Cesar Chávez, Dolores Huerta, and other Latino workers;

Whereas, on August 3, 1948, the late Victoria Manalo Draves became the first Filipino American and Asian American to win an Olympic Gold Medal;

Whereas, on April 25, 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Lorna G. Schofield to be a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and she was confirmed by the Senate on December 13, 2012, to be the first Filipina American in United States history to serve as an Article III Federal judge;

Whereas Filipino Americans play an integral role in the healthcare system of the United States as nurses, doctors, first responders, and other medical professionals, and approximately 1 in 4 working Filipino adults in the United States is a frontline healthcare worker;

Whereas Filipino Americans contribute greatly to music, dance, literature, education, business, hospitality, journalism, sports, fashion, politics, government, science, technology, the fine arts, and other fields that enrich the United States;

Whereas, as mandated in the mission statement of the Filipino American National Historical Society, efforts should continue to promote the study of Filipino American history and culture because the roles of Filipino Americans and other people of color have largely been overlooked in the writing, teaching, and learning of the history of the United States;

Whereas it is imperative for Filipino American youth to have positive role models to instill—

(1) the significance of education, complemented by the richness of Filipino American ethnicity; and

(2) the value of the Filipino American legacy; and

Whereas it is essential to promote the understanding, education, and appreciation of the history and culture of Filipino Americans in the United States: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) recognizes the celebration of Filipino American History Month as—

(A) a testament to the advancement of Filipino Americans;

(B) a time to reflect on and remember the many notable contributions that Filipino Americans have made to the United States; and

(C) a time to renew efforts toward the research and examination of history and culture so as to provide an opportunity for all people of the United States to learn more about Filipino Americans and to appreciate the historic contributions of Filipino Americans to the United States; and

(2) urges the people of the United States to observe Filipino American History Month with appropriate programs and activities.

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.

One million AANHPI could lose healthcare under Trump's healthcare "concept"

More than one million Asian Americans would lose health coverage and those diagnosed with pre-existing conditions could be shut out of the healthcare market, if Donald Trump is elected.

In addition, more than 2 million Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander seniors would see dramatic increases in prescription drug prices under the sketchy "concept" of a health plan described by Trump, according to a report released today by the Harris-Walz campaign.

The Trump-Vance campaign has been deliberately vague on most issues, especially on the issue of healthcare because ,ost voters would be aghast if If the details of the Republican healthcare policies were unveiled. 

In the first debate, Trump vowed to end the Affordable Care Act. When pressed by the debate moderator, he replied, "I have a concept of a pla,” providing no details.

 

Days later, Vance was more specific outling the goals of the GOP plan: promising to bring back high-risk pools that would skyrocket costs for Americans with pre-existing conditions. That comes after Trump has promised to “never give up” on trying to “terminate” the ACA, which would rip insurance away from millions of Americans and raise costs for millions more. 

Trump and Vance have tried to hide the details of their plan by not releasing it in one place publicly, despite both Trump and Vance sharing the “concepts” of their plan publicly for a year. 

The Harris-Walz campaign’s new report says: " the Trump-Vance plan has four concepts: “rip insurance away from millions, including those with pre-existing conditions;” “raise the costs of prescription drugs and health insurance;” “cut Medicare and slash Medicaid;” and “ban abortion nationwide and rip away reproductive health.”

Since the passage of the ACA, the coverage disparity between Asian Americans and whites was eliminated across all income categories through coverage gains within Medicaid, the individual and ACA marketplaces, and employer-based insurance, according to independent nonpartisan studies.

Today, the Harris-Walz campaign report outlines dangerous consequences for Asian American communities if Trump were to be elected, including:

• More than 1 million Asian Americans would be stripped of their health insurance, and costs will skyrocket for patients across the state. 

• 11% percent of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) have been diagnosed with preexisting conditions and could be denied health coverage or charged thousands of dollars more under the Trump-Vance plan for high-risk pools.

• The Trump-Vance plan would roll back the Biden-Harris administration’s work to cap the price of insulin at $35 for seniors, cap the price of out-of-pocket drugs and negotiate with Medicare, would dramatically increase costs for more than 2 million AANHPPI elderly. Nearly 7% of Asian American adults with a prescription report rationing their drugs because of cost concerns. And more than 15% of Asian American seniors reported that they had problems affording their medication. 

• Donald Trump continues to brag about his role in overturning Roe v. Wade and unleashing cruel abortion bans across the country. If elected, he and Vance would go even further, banning abortion nationwide, jailing healthcare providers, tracking women and their pregnancies, restricting access to birth control, ripping away the right to emergency care, and endangering access to IVF – threatening the rights of 5 million AANHPI women of reproductive age.

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.

Mabuhay! Harris-Walz campaign focuses on Nevada's Filipino Americans and makes history

This ad will appear on bus shelters in Nevada.

Starting today, Team Harris-Walz is rolling out digital “out of home” ads in Las Vegas, Nevada to engage with Filipino American voters as they gather to celebrate the richness of Filipino food and culture for Filipino American History Month.

One of the ads makes a bit of history in its text that says, "Mabuhay! Kamala Harris supports Pinoy Pride."

That could be the very first times a Presidential campaign is using the term "Pinoy," in referring to Filipinos. While the endearing term is widely used among Filipinos in referring to their fellow Filipinos, "Pinoy" is a word not commonly used by non-Filipinos.

It could also be the first time "Mabuhay," Filipinos' celebratory greeting is being used in a presidential campaign ad.

“These ads underscore our campaign’s efforts to reach Filipino American voters where they are and speak with them about what’s at stake in this election – freedom, safety, dignity, and an Opportunity Economy where small businesses can thrive and working people can fully realize the promise of America,” says Andrew Peng, Harris-Walz Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander spokesperson.

The "Mabuhay" ads will appear at taxi tops, bus shelters, and billboards highlighting Vice President Kamala Harris’ support for “Pinoy Pride” and will be placed in the radius of the Pinoy Pride Festival beginning on September 27, just days before the start of Filipino American History Month in October. Several of the placements also include the celebratory Filipino celebratory greeting “Mabuhay!” to complement the fiesta-like atmosphere.

This ad will appear atop taxis in Las Vegas.

“Under Vice President Harris’ leadership, Filipino American History Month celebrations were revived at the White House. And as Filipino Americans gather to celebrate their history and heritage, Team Harris-Walz is proud to join in honoring the resilience and joy of this incredible community,” says Peng.

Nevada’s Filipino American voters will likely play a decisive role in this election, says Peng in a statement. Nevada is considered a "battleground" state where the state's six electoral votes are up for grabs by the Democrats or Republicans. The latest polls show Harris and Trump in a virtual tie in Nevada with the Vice President holding a slimmest of leads; 47.8% to Trump's 46.8%.

FYI: Learn more about the Pinoy Pride Festival.

Democrats have bolstered their outreach to the AANHPI communities in Nevada becausethey represent about 10% of the state's eligible voters, a larger share than in state except for Hawaii or California. The number of AANHPI voters in Nevada saw the biggest turnout jump of every group in the state.

The ads are the latest effort by the Harris-Walz campaign to reach Filipino and Asian American voters:

• In March, the coordinated campaign opened up a field office in southwest Las Vegas – the heart of the state’s Asian American community – while Team Trump and the GOP shut down their Asian American outreach center. Nationally, the Harris-Walz campaign has dedicated staff, hosts twice-weekly Asian American voter phone banks, and will soon launch volunteer canvasses in coordination with state organizers.

• On July 9, Vice President Harris formally launched the campaign’s national Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander organizing and engagement program in Las Vegas. Ahead of the launch, the campaign in Nevada placed a paid media blitz in local Asian American news outlets, including the Las Vegas Chinese Daily News, Asian Journal, Las Vegas Japan Times, Korean Las Vegas Times, and the Philippine Times of Southern Nevada.

• Team Harris-Walz and Nevada Democrats have hosted numerous community and cultural events to engage with Asian American voters, such as a traditional Kamayan Feast, Karaoke for Kamala, and “Spam and Boba” nights. Earlier this month, Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz met with community members celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival at the restaurant Xiao Long Dumplings.

• The campaign has used ethnic media outlets targeting Filipino American voters, including running ads on The Filipino Channel, among other outlets. In one ad, “Reduced,” Rozita, a Filipina American living in Las Vegas focuses on the active threat Donald Trump poses to the health of Asian American communities and his calls to “terminate” health care protections from the Affordable Care Act that have been implemented by the Biden-Harris Administration.

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.

House Republicans seek revival of the China Initiative

SCREEN CAPTURE / C-SPAN

California Congressmember Judy Chu speaks out against the China Week bills passed by the
House of Representatives Republican majority.

While most of our attention has been on the Presidential campaigns of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, House Republicans hope no one will notice the backward step reviving the racist China Initiative.

Dubbed "China Week," tthe House of Representatives voted Sept. 12 to pass two bills which could increase hate acts against Chinese Americans, say the bills' critics. 

H.R. 1398, Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act of 2024, a bill to reinstate the Trump-era China Initiative program, and H.R. 9465, Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024, a bill to require the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review agricultural land purchases solely by immigrants from China, North Korea, Russia, or Iran.

"I am outraged by today’s passage of deceptively-named bills that would undermine our nation’s security and racially profile immigrants and Americans of Chinese and Asian descent," said Rep. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

"We are concerned that the US House of Representatives decision to dub this week as ‘China Week’ may lead to increased racial profiling and animosity towards Chinese Americans," stated the Committee of 100, made up of prominent Chinese Americans.

“With precious little time remaining to fund our government, House Republicans could have worked on a bipartisan basis this week to do so—supporting our veterans and protecting our homeland. Instead, they launched a partisan ‘China week’ that does nothing to improve our competitive advantages to the Chinese Community Party or seriously address national security interests," she said.

"We have particular issue with these two bills that continue to drive misleading and dangerous narratives," continued the statement.

The China Initiative was a failed program that fueled racial animosity, xenophobia, and suspicion towards the AAPI community and Chinese Americans in particular. Reimplementing this program would send shockwaves of fear across the AAPI community. That program not only destroyed lives and careers but also undermined our academic community and stifled America’s ability to remain a leader in scientific innovation.

The second bill of adding the secretary of agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) dangerously echoes the discriminatory alien land laws of America’s past, treating immigrants and refugees from countries like China, Iran, and Russia as national security threats. 

"Contributions by immigrants play a vital role in U.S. economy and its competitiveness. Unnecessary and overzealous restrictions only add to the challenges faced by immigrants looking to live in and contribute to American societ," say the Committee.

Both of these bills legitimize harmful and xenophobic narratives about immigrants, creating conditions that fuel anti-Asian violence.

H.R. 9465 is similar to the racist anti-alien land laws that prevented Asian immigrants from owning land. By mid-20th century, the racist laws were deemed unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court.

The so-called China Week comes with a rash of public indictments against alleged agents working for the Peoples Republic of China and/or the Chinese Communist Party. The indictments filed this year by the US Department of Justice charge individuals for acting on behalf of the PRC and/or the CCP to harass and intimidate US citizens or residents who are critical of the Chinese government and the communist party. 

Some of the indictments were filed after the China Initiative was terminated by the DOJ in 2023 because it had resulted in racial profiling of researchers of Chinese descent. Most of the China Initiative indictments were dropped for lack of evidence.

The House bills now must be approved the Senate where the Democrats hold a slim advantage because Vice President Kamala Harris  has often cast the deciding vote

"We strongly urge the US Senate not to move any of these harmful bills forward. We call upon Chinese Americans, the Asian American community and all individuals that have felt oppressed to call on their local elected officials and explain the harm these bills would cause," the Committee of 100 states.

However, the recent indictments post-initiative  indicate that China does have an aggressive strategy against critics and espionage of strategies and technology with military value by offering monetary rewards to US citizens.

The actions offered by the House bills do not address those actions and instead may cast too wide net involving innocent US citizens or residents of the US.

CAPAC members and groups like the Committee of 100 recognize the PRC attempts to influence US residents or obtain military secrets and have offered to assist the DOJ and Congress to weed out the individuals who might be PRC agents.

"We welcome the opportunity to work with Congressional leaders to recognize, address, and prevent future harms to the AAPI community and continue the dialogue towards a shared vision of a better, more secure and inclusive America," states the Committee of 100.

Congressmember Chu added: "Let me be clear: while we all want to stop American secrets from being stolen, investigations should be based on evidence of criminal activity, not race, ethnicity, or national origin."

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.

Harris'' lead over Trump leaps among AANHPI voters, especially women

Thousands of AANHPI women in Las Vegas came out to a recent Democratiic rally led by
Vice President Kamala Harris.

By a margin greater than 2 to. 1, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island Americans favor Vice President Kamala Harris over Donald Trump. Among AANHPI women, her support is even more commanding.

Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) and AAPI Data released the findings from a survey of Asian American and Pacific Islander adults during a press conference Monday. The survey is the first since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July and Harris became the Democratic nominee. 

“These results reinforce what we’ve been hearing and seeing from the Asian American community since July:  they are re-energized and poised to once again play a decisive role in the election,” says Christine Chen, Co-Founder and Executive Director of APIAVote. 

“It’s also clear that the major parties and campaigns are no longer overlooking or taking AAPI voters for granted, but instead making concerted efforts to reach out and engage them on the issues that matter most to them,” she says. 

The aggressive efforts of the Harris-Walz campaign  reaching out to the Asian American communities appears to be paying off, according to the latest  Asian American Voter Survey (AAVS).

The poll, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, shows a dramatic increase in support for the Democratic presidential ticket among Asian American voters since the release of the organizations’ bi-annualy survey released in July.. 

FYI: Full results from the survey are available here. 

“When it comes to voter enthusiasm and intention to vote, we’re seeing levels on par with 2020, which was a historic election in terms of having record high turnout for Asian Americans," says Karthick Ramakrishnan, the executive director and founder of AAPI Data, one of the groups that conducted the survey.  "All these ingredients point toward Asian Americans having a pretty powerful role in the Harris candidacy.”

Another interesting result found that despite being having a racial affinity with Harris, AANHPI voters  say her identity as a woman is more important to them than her identity as Asian Indian or South Asian. 

The results show a level of sophistication in their decision making. In other words, fact-based impactful issues are more important than those issues that might carry a more emotional weight. As a result, 38 percent of Asian American voters say Harris’ identity as a woman is “extremely” or “very” important to them, compared to 27 percent who say the same about her identity as an Asian Indian or South Asian. 

“South Asians for Harris, Chinese Americans for Harris, Korean Americans for Harris — we saw such activation coming from the community and partially, I think it is because of her ethnicity, but it was also driven by the women in those communities,” Chen told The 19th.

Support among AANHPI women are stronger for Harris (70 percent) than support from AANHPI men (57 percent). Chen told The 19th has to do with how Asian American women are working with Black women and Latinas across organizing spaces, bringing together a racially diverse coalition of voters.

Other key findings among Asian American registered voters include:  

Presidential Horse Race: Among Asian American voters, Harris leads Trump by 38 percentage points, expanding Biden’s 15-point lead by 23 percentage points since the Spring. 

• 66 percent of Asian American voters plan on voting for Vice President Harris, compared to 28 percent who say they back former President Trump. Those who say they will support another candidate or are undecided account for 6 percent. 
  • That's a huge increase from the 2024 AAVS, conducted in April-May, 46 percent of Asian American voters backed Biden and 31 percent supported Trump, while 23 percent said they planned to vote for someone else or were undecided. 
  • Compared to the 2020 AAVS, which was conducted in July-September that year, 54 percent said they planned to vote for Biden, 30 percent for Trump, and 16 percent for someone else or were undecided. 
    

Candidate Favorability: Vice President Harris’ favorability among Asian American voters increases 18 points since the Spring; Tim Walz is far more popular as a vice presidential candidate than JD Vance.

• 62 percent of Asian American voters say they have a favorable opinion of Kamala Harris, compared to 35 percent who have an unfavorable opinion of the Vice President.
  • Again, the results show a big shift from the 2024 AAVS, conducted in April-May, 44 percent had a favorable view of Harris and 42 percent unfavorable. 
• 28 percent of Asian American voters have a favorable opinion of Donald Trump, compared to 70 percent who have an unfavorable opinion of the former President. 
  • In the 2024 AAVS, conducted in April-May, 34 percent had a favorable view of Trump and 62 percent unfavorable. 
• 56 percent of Asian American voters have a favorable opinion of Tim Walz, compared to 18 percent who have an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic nominee for vice president. 26 percent don’t know enough to have an opinion. 
• Only 21 percent of Asian American voters have a favorable opinion of JD Vance, compared to 58 percent who have an unfavorable opinion of the Republican nominee for vice president. 22 percent don’t know enough to have an opinion. 

Certainty of Voting: Asian American voters are more likely to say that they are absolutely certain they will vote compared to April-May of this year.

• 77 percent of Asian American voters said they are “absolutely certain” they will vote in the 2024 election, up from 68 percent who said the same in the 2024 AAVS conducted in April-May. 
  • In the 2020 AAVS, conducted in July-September of 2020, 82 percent of Asian American voters said they are “absolutely certain” they would vote in the 2020 election.

Voter Contact & Outreach: Asian American voters are far more likely to say they’ve been contacted by the Democratic Party than the GOP. 

• 62 percent of Asian American voters say they’ve been contacted by the Democratic Party, compared to 46 percent who say the same for the Republican Party.
  • In the 2024 AAVS, conducted in April-May, 45 percent of Asian American voters say they had been contacted by the Democratic Party, compared to 38 percent who say the same for the Republican Party.
• 27 percent of Asian American voters say they have still not been contacted by either party, down from 42 percent in the 2024 AAVS, conducted in April-May. 

Harris’ Identity: Asian American voters say Harris’ identity as a woman is more important than her identity as Asian Indian or South Asian. 

• 38 percent of Asian American voters say Harris’ identity as a woman is “extremely” or “very” important to them, compared to 27 percent who say the same about her identity as an Asian Indian or South Asian. 

Asian Americans have been a rapidly growing group of eligible voters in the U.S. over the past two decades, growing by 15 percent in the last four years aloneand turning out in record numbers in every federal election since 2016. In 2020, a surge in Asian American voters – especially those voting for the very first time – in battleground states was crucial to Biden’s victory. 

The 2024 AAPI Voter Survey was conducted between September 3-9, 2024 by NORC using NORC’s Amplify AAPI® Panel for the sample source. The survey was offered in English, Chinese dialects of Mandarin and Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Korean and was administered in two modes depending on the preference of the respondent provided during panel recruitments: 1) self-administered by the respondent online via the Web; or 2) administered over the telephone by a live interviewer. The surveys with a live interviewer were only conducted in English.

"Team Harris-Walz and Democrats know that Asian American voters are the margin of victory in this election – and we are working to earn every single vote. The choice for Asian American communities could not be clearer:," says Andrew Peng, AANHPI spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign. "While Donald Trump incites anti-Asian hate, vilifies immigrant communities, and attacks our freedoms, Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will chart a new way forward to advance opportunity, dignity, and safety for the American people."

“Asian American and Pacific Islander voters are poised to play a pivotal role in this election,” says Ramakrishnan. “Instead of speculating about how AAPI voters and volunteers are reacting to the Harris, Walz, and Vance candidacies, we have nationally representative, in-language survey data to inform news coverage and public understanding.”

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.

Shohei Ohtani is first ballplayer to get 50 steals and 50 home runs

Shohei Ohtani  is baseball's first Mr. 50/50 and is major league baseball's new face.  The L.A. Dodger player continues to write himself into the MLB record books by becoming the first ballplayer to get 50 stolen bases and 50 home runs in the same season. The Japanese player cemented his place as the new face of "America's pasttime."

"This is a game that has been played for over 200 years," said the Dodgers' Japanese American manager Dave Roberts. "And this is something that has never been done."

“To be honest, I’m the one probably most surprised,” Ohtani said through a translator of his Hall-of-Fame level performance. “I have no idea where this came from, but I’m glad I performed well today.”

Ohtani's remarkable feat, overshadowed what he did in the game against the Marlins with "one of the Greatest Single-Game Performance in MLB History," according to MLB writer Juan Toribio

In the same game against the Marlins in which he became the only player to achieve the 50 steals and 50 homeruns, Ohtani became the first player with three homers and two steals in a game. He doubled twice, had a career-best six hits and set a Dodgers record by driving in 10 runs.

“The individual performance tonight was remarkable,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “With this game of baseball, it was a win for Major League Baseball. I know people all over the globe were watching this game and we’re excited to see that they got a chance to witness history.”

The 6'-4" Ohtani has been rewriting the record books since he crossed the Pacific to play with the L.A. Angels in 2018 as a pitcher and fielder. Over the off-season, he signed go with the Nagels crosstown rivals, the Dodgersafter signing a record-breaking 10-years contract for $700 million with $680 million deferred.

After his third homerun, breaking the record, Ohtani was mobbed by his teammates when he reached the dugout. The 15,000 Marlin fans continued cheering until the Dodger emerged from the dugout for a curtain call.

The Marlins had a chance to spoil the Dodgers' party. With Ohtani at the plate and having already homered twice, first base was open. Conventional strategy would have been to deliberately walk him. Marlins manager Skip Schumaker chose to pitch to Ohtani instead of intentionally walking him.

“If it was a tight game, one run lead or we’re down one, I probably put him on,” Schumaker said in the post-game press conference. “Down that many runs, that’s a bad move baseball-wise, karma-wise, baseball god-wise. You go after him to see if you can get him out. I think out of respect for the game, we were going to go after him. He hit the home run. That’s just part of the deal.”

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.