Asian Americans Will Vote Overwhelming For Harris: Survey

Photo: Reuters/Umit Bektas/Elizabeth Frantz

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC –Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) and AAPI Data released the findings from a survey of Asian American and Pacific Islander adults, the first since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Vice President Harris became the Democratic nominee. 

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-annual Asian American Voter Survey in July.

Key findings among Asian American registered voters include:

 * Harris leads Trump by 38 percentage points.

66 percent of Asian American voter’s plan on voting for Vice President Harris, compared to 28 percent who say they back Trump. Those who say they will support another candidate or are undecided account for 6 percent.

* Harris’s identity as woman more important than being 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 alone and 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.

 *Candidate Harris’s favorability has increased 18 points since Spring.

 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. In 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.

 *Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz is far more popular than JD Vance.

 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.

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.

 *Asian American voters will vote.

 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.

 *Dems contact voters not so much 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.

 “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,” said 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.”

“Asian American and Pacific Islander voters are poised to play a pivotal role in this election,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, Executive Director of AAPI Data. “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.”