Some local members of the Asian American Pacific Islander community say they’re excited about Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who has both Black Jamaican and South Asian ancestry.
But a Republican leader says his party is reaching out to diverse groups, too.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin recently teamed with the Harris/Walz campaign to launch AANHPIs for Harris—that’s Asian-American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander. Julie Su, whose parents were from China and Taiwan, and taking a break from her official duties as acting U.S. Labor Secretary, was the guest speaker at a gathering in Glendale, WI. Su talked about the importance of opportunity.
“What it allows to happen is you actually seek out people who are wildly qualified but would otherwise be overlooked and give them a shot. And once they get that shot, we’ve all seen; you’ve all lived, we all know what can happen there,” Su says.
Several audience members at the event told WUWM that they’d like to see Harris make use of that opportunity as U.S. president.
Lindsey Vang is of Hmong ancestry. She wants Harris to maintain protections for rights such as marriage equality.
“I also identify as a queer woman who has a family and understanding that all could be in jeopardy if we don’t elect the right person for this. Having a president who will fight for folks who are overlooked and underseen," Vang says.
Aashi Iyengar is of Indian descent, and she wants Harris to pursue more protection for women's rights. “Specifically, reproductive rights. I think our country has seemed to go a little bit backwards when it comes to reproductive rights. So, I’m excited to see how she (Harris) takes on that challenge,” Iyengar says.
Angelito Tenorio, of Filipino descent, is running for the State Assembly this fall as a Democrat from West Allis, and says he likes Harris’ record on environmental issues, health care, support for working families and public education.
“And when it comes to Asian-American, AAPI community, we know V.P. Harris has been a champion for our community as well, giving us representation in politics and government, but also fighting to combat anti-Asian hate, anti-Asian violence. And on the flip side of that, also working to invest in the AAPI community, AAPI small businesses, as well," Tenorio says.
Tenorio predicts the Asian American community will continue to show up for Harris between now and November.
According to census.gov, as of 2020, about 178,000 people in Wisconsin identified their race and ethnicity as Asian alone, or Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander.
The website APIAVote.org estimates just over 100,000 of those state residents are eligible to vote, making up 2.3% of the Wisconsin electorate.
This is in a state where about 20,000 votes have decided the last two presidential elections.
Asked last week after a rally by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, about the Democrats AANHPI coalition in Wisconsin, State GOP Chairman Brian Schimming offered this response: “What I will say is, we’re expanding our reach into all communities. Not just in Milwaukee, but statewide."
Political parties that reach out to the AANHPI community now or in the future may see increasing dividends. APIAVote says there’s been a 25% growth in AAPI voter eligibility in Wisconsin over the last decade.
