Asian American voters may not be large in numbers, but their ability to influence an election has candidates scrambling to get their votes, reports Politico.
In the East in New Jersey, Virginia, and Atlanta to the Midwest in Minneapolis to the desert of Las Vegas and up and down the West Coast, candidates are targeting Asian American voters with direct appeals. Texas Senator John Cornyn (R) has run ads in Vietnamese, Mandarin & Hindi.
Fueling the quest for Asian American voters, says Rep Judy Chu (D-CA) who chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, is the knowledge that Asian American voters can give a candidate the margin of victory. This is especially true in races considered competitive.
In New Jersey, Democrat Roy Cho is giving incumbent Scott Garrett a formidable challenge, overcoming initial skepticism when he first entered the race.
“We’ve had Korean American people, business people, who just come up to us and say they want to be involved in the campaign,” said Cho.
While the Asian American community is quite diverse and different, many commonalities bind them together and present an opportunities for politicians who recognize that.
You can read more about that in Politico.