Dem
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GOP
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Asian Americans (and Pacific Islanders) haven't usually gotten a lot of attention in Georgia elections. Until now. They are suddenly being targeted by both Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Herschel Walker. It is a small group, but in close elections, every small group could be an important small group.
In 2020, a big get-out-the-vote campaign got turnout among Asian Americans to double compared to 2016. The number of ballots from this group increased by 60,000 compared to 2016. That is 5x Joe Biden's margin of victory in the Peach State. Asian Americans skew heavily to the Democrats. The Nov. 8 exit polls showed that they voted for Warnock over Walker 59% to 39%. Now the Democrats are trying mightily to get all the Asian Americans to the polls for the Dec. 6 runoff.
Asian Americans represent the fastest-growing ethnic group in the country. However, they come from a multitude of countries, speak a multitude of languages, and have a multitude of issues, so a one-size-fits-all campaign to get them to vote doesn't usually do the job.
The Democrats' efforts for Warnock will feature Meena Harris, Kamala Harris' niece, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chair of the House Progressive Caucus. They will focus on South Asians. The Asian American Advocacy Fund is planning to make 250,000 phone calls to Asian American voters and knock on 70,000 doors during the runoff. Warnock has been running ads in Vietnamese, Korean, Mandarin, and other Asian languages.
Walker's campaign has made use of Nikki Haley, whose parents immigrated from India. The RNC has opened an Asian Pacific American community center and has held pastor round tables and other events there directed at Asian Americans. (V)