THE ASIAN AMERICAN VOTE TOO!
Well, after writing about the Jewish vote and youth vote going overwhelmingly Dem this year, I found the following from the Asian-American Legal Defense and Education Fund:
Asian American voters in eight states continued a decade-long shift to support Democratic candidates, with 79% of those polled favoring Democrats in Tuesday's congressional and state elections. According to preliminary results of a nonpartisan, multilingual exit poll of over 4,600 Asian American voters, released today by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), Democratic candidates in closely-watched races in Virginia, New Jersey and other states were consistently buoyed by Asian American voter turnout.
So much for the myth of Asian-Americans being overwhelmingly Republican. The article goes on and breaks down the importance of this vote by state:
Virginia Senate: After maintaining a slim lead, Democratic candidate Jim Webb was declared the winner by 0.3% of the total vote (49.6%) beating Republican incumbent Sen. George Allen (49.3%), best known among Asian Americans for his derogatory “macaca†remark to a South Asian campaign worker. According to AALDEF’s exit poll of more than 250 Asian American voters, 76% voted for Jim Webb, 21% voted for Sen. Allen, and 3% voted for Glenda Parker.
New Jersey Senate: In this heated Senate race, among more than 370 Asian Americans polled, 77% voted for incumbent Sen. Robert Menendez, while 20% voted for Republican challenger Thomas Kean Jr.—a 57-point margin. 4% of Asian Americans polled voted for other candidates. Among all New Jersey voters, Menendez held his seat by an 8-point margin (53% to 45%).
Maryland Senate: In Maryland's open Senate seat, among over 200 Asian American voters polled, 73% chose Democrat Ben Cardin, with 24% for Republican Michael Steele, and 3% for Green Party candidate Kevin Zeese. Among the general electorate, 55% voted for Cardin, 44% for Steele, and 2% for Zeese.
Pennsylvania Senate: Among more than 200 Asian American voters polled in Philadelphia, 71% voted for Democratic candidate Bob Casey, while 29% voted for Republican incumbent Sen. Rick Santorum. Among all voters, 59% voted for Casey and 41% voted for Santorum.
Massachusetts Governor: Democratic candidate Deval Patrick, who became the nation's second African American elected governor, received support from 75% of more than 350 Asian American voters polled in Boston, Dorchester, Lowell and Quincy, with Kerry Healey receiving 21%. Statewide, 56% voted for Patrick, and 35% voted for Healey.
Michigan Proposal 2: Rejecting claims that Asian Americans are hurt by affirmative action programs, three in four Asian American voters voted No to Proposal 2, which seeks to end race- and gender-based affirmative action programs in education, hiring, contracting, and health initiatives. More than 300 Asian American voters—including Arab Americans—participated in AALDEF’s exit poll survey in Michigan. Proposal 2 passed by a wide margin, 58% to 42% .
Illinois Governor: Democratic incumbent Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich defeated his Republican opponent Judy Baar Topinka with a 10-point lead, 50% to 40%. In contrast, 99% of the 170 Asian Americans polled in Chicago voted for Blagojevich, with 1% for Topinka.
New York Attorney General: Of over 2,300 Asian American voters polled in New York City, 82% voted for Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo. Republican contender Jeanine Pirro received 14% of the Asian American vote, with 4% voting for other candidates. Cuomo led Pirro 58% to 40% among all voters statewide.
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2006 Elections | Asian | Elections | GOTV, Get Out The Vote | Democratic Party
Wondering what Cubans are thinking...
Submitted by mole333 on 9 November 2006 - 10:55pm.
Given the Menendez race, and the fact that most of the Cuban American who fled Castro are aging, I have been wondering if there are going to be shifts in the Cuban dynamics.
Generations
Submitted by JAD (not verified) on 10 November 2006 - 2:52pm.
This is interesting stuff. It would be most instructive to chart out the views of the Asian voters by age. My guess is that the younger Asians are really breaking from their parents by voting the Democratic line.
Another reason for this is the Democratic Party's more open approach in engaging new populations, including the Asians. You only have to look at Queens to see how both the Chinese and Korean communities have been encouraged to develop a host of candidates to run as Democrats. The GOP, on the other hand, has done little to recruit from this base. Over time, these trends have consequences.
Parallels
Submitted by mole333 on 11 November 2006 - 11:26am.
I see a division in the Russian community where, in general, older Russians, who practically worshipped Reagan, remain Republican, while younger Russians detest Bush and the Republican party with a passion.
In Brooklyn, I also see an emerging political identity emerging among Muslims. I see signs in Bay Ridge in English and Arabic urging people to Vote and emphasizing the importance of being heard by the society in general. There is also a growing sense of political unity among "Muslims" who used to identify themselves more as ethnic groups (Pakistanis, Indians, Lebanese, etc.) I have noticed this mainly since the invasion of Iraq and, more quietly, after 9/11 created a wave of anti-Muslim attitudes in parts of the US. A Muslim friend has also commented on this trend.
Virginia is especially
Virginia is especially impressive because there are quite a few Vietnamese, who are politically to Asians what Cubans are to Latinos