By Irfan Shariff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Vice President Kamala Harris rallied supporters last Saturday, July 13, at the Asian Pacific Islander Vote (APIAVote) Presidential Town Hall in Philadelphia, and promised “four more years.”
APIAVote has been hosting presidential town halls since 2008 as a “way to foster an inclusive environment for dialogue,” according to its executive director, Christine Chen.
APIAVote is a nonpartisan nonprofit aimed at empowering Asian Pacific Islanders (API) communities into civic engagement. While both parties were invited, the Republican campaign did not send any representation.
“President Biden and I know this community is a force and must always be recognized,” said Harris. “This is the one. The most existential, consequential, and important election of our lifetime…This election will come down to this: President Biden and I fight for the American people. Donald Trump does not.”
Dr. Nina Ahmad, the first Philadelphia city council member of South Asian and Muslim descent, welcomed everyone in attendance to the “city of brotherly love and sisterly affection” and reminded them to “pay attention to who shows up.”
“This is about holding our candidates accountable to our communities,” Ahmad said.
The event was emceed by Frances Wang, a news anchor at Philadelphia’s NBC affiliate, and included speakers like Representatives Judy Chu and Ted Liu of California, and Rep. Jill Tokuda from Hawaii, as well as API leaders and community members from across the nation.
“President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump stand very far apart on key issues, even to our community,” said Wang. This presidential town hall is the most important forum for Asian American, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to voice their concerns.”
As early as 1996, the API vote was recognized as important with the public service announcement “Voice Your Vote” featuring API celebrities, including Tamlyn Tomita who created the PSA and was also a guest speaker at the town hall.
“A lot has happened in the last four years,” said Chen. “In 2020, we made history together. Approximately 60% of AAPIs turned out to vote, marking the highest number on record.”
The biannual Asian American Voter Survey, recently released by APIAVote and other organizations, shows that Biden is still leading over Trump among 41% of API voters. This is down from 56% in 2020. API voter support for Trump went up by one percentage point to 31% during the same time.
According to Rep. Chu, we have “22 API members of Congress…a historic high.” Chu is chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), of which Harris was once also a part of.
“Before [CAPAC’s] founding, we were invisible in the halls of Congress,” she said.
Rep. Ted Liu cites that by 2055, APIs will be the largest immigrant group in the country. He also notes the importance of API votership: In 2020, there were more API voters in swing states and “earlier this year, a congressional district flipped due to a surge in AANHPI voters.”
Andrew Peng, a spokesperson for the Biden-Harris campaign focusing on the API vote, said, “Our campaign knows the power of AANHPI voters and the pivotal role they will play in protecting progress.”
Pennsylvania is considered a battleground state in the 2024 election, where candidates from both parties have recently been campaigning. Former President Trump was campaigning in the state the same day when he was the target of an assassination attempt.
“AANHPIs are the fastest growing racial group in the U.S. and as a result the fastest growing voting block,” said Rep. Chu. “Not only have we claimed a seat at the table, but we have gone from marginalized to the margin of victory.”
To view a recording of the APIAVote Presidential Hall, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7raSoEm-zL0