As the Democratic Party unites behind US Vice-President Kamala Harris, the nation’s first Asian-American and African-American woman to be nominated for president by a major political party, many Asian-Americans say they feel increasingly emboldened and optimistic that their voices will be heard.
Democrats in general have been energised since US President Joe Biden, 81, stepped aside a month ago following a disastrous debate performance against the Republican candidate, former president Donald Trump. Biden’s endorsement of Harris, 59, sparked memes on social media platforms and record fundraising for her.
Among the Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in particular, it is more pronounced and personal as they see someone who understands them breaking through the “bamboo ceiling”.
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“The excitement is unparalleled,” said New York State Senator John Liu, a Democratic National Convention delegate, speaking by telephone just off the floor in Chicago. “Asian-Americans still feel invisible all too often.
“But having one of our own in the White House [would] mean the world. It’s a dream come true for so many people, myself included.”
Some Harris supporters recalled the physical attacks, verbal abuse and related collateral damage the AAPI community suffered during Trump’s administration, as he launched a trade war with China in 2018 and demonised the nation as the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the US.
According to the FBI, in 2019, there were 158 federal anti-Asian hate crimes recorded in the US. But as Covid-19 spread, that figure rose to 279 in 2020 and 746 in 2021, before falling back to 499 in 2022.
Separately, the civic group Stop AAPI Hate received more than 11,000 self-reported incidents between March 2020 and May 2023, mostly involving harassment, bullying, shunning and other forms of discrimination.
There was also the launch by his Justice Department of its China Initiative, a programme targeting potential espionage in academia that critics said amounted to racial profiling. The Biden administration ended the programme.
“Trump’s been a disaster for the community. He’s been a major factor in the unprecedented rise of anti-Asian hate, scapegoating,” Liu said, noting that it was still a current issue, with Trump citing the “China virus” during his meandering 90-minute speech accepting the Republican nomination last month in Milwaukee.
“This is a guy who invented a new anti-Asian slur, ‘kung flu’. So the community does not forget that.”
Race has inserted itself into the contest in other ways.
Late last month Trump provocatively suggested that Harris – whose father was born in Jamaica and whose mother in Southern India – “happened to turn black” and was playing down her Asian heritage for political expediency.
“She was always of Indian heritage,” Trump told a National Association of Black Journalists convention. “And now she wants to be known as black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she black?”
Support for Harris is hardly unanimous, given the wide diversity within the AAPI community. According to a July survey conducted by APIAVote, AAPI Data, Asian-American Advancing Justice and AARP – released before Biden dropped out of the race – 31 per cent of Asian voters said they would vote for Trump compared with 46 per cent for Biden.
The survey found that Asian-Americans believed the Republican Party did marginally better on issues related to national security, immigration, inflation and crime while Democrats did significantly better on abortion, healthcare and gun control.
Harris supporters said that her candidacy – and potential win – would vindicate the community’s centuries-long struggle to become more politically and culturally visible in the US and would help to shed long-standing tropes as the “model minority” and “eternal outsiders”.
Some Asian-Americans were also encouraged by Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz, who immersed himself in Chinese culture as a teacher in China.
“This is such a hopeful, inspiring time with Kamala Harris being on the ticket, Tim Walz speaking Mandarin,” Representative Jill Tokuda, a Democrat from Hawaii, said on a call from the convention Wednesday. “He literally understands us in our own language.”
Asian-Americans are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the US, and the fastest-growing voting bloc, increasing by 15 per cent, or about 2 million eligible voters, in the past four years. They are also well represented in many swing states pivotal to the November 5 election.
“The political influence of AAPI voters is only growing, with the nomination of Kamala Harris for president as the latest milestone in our community’s progress,” said New York State Senator Iwen Chu, the first Asian-American woman to be elected to that legislature.
“Now it is time for us to band together,” Chu, also a delegate to the Democratic convention, added.
According to the survey, the Asian communities most favourable toward Trump were Vietnamese, Filipinos and Japanese, while those who viewed him most unfavourably were Chinese and Koreans. Overall, more than two-thirds of Asian-American voters reported worrying about hate crimes, harassment and discrimination.
“As the fastest-growing voting bloc in the nation, we must not forget the progress made and the work that needs to be continued,” said US Representative Grace Meng, a New York Democrat.
“This is an election where the Asian-American community will have a more critical impact than ever before,” Liu added.
Additional reporting by Bochen Han in Washington
More from South China Morning Post:
- Joe Biden touts policies for US middle class, says Chinese economic dominance not assured
- Democrats give influencers ‘front row seat to history’, to boost Harris’ presidential bid
- Trump attacks Harris’ racial identity, saying she opted to ‘turn black’ for political gain
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