Dems & the GOP are ignoring this voting bloc

How race and identity are shaping politics, policy and power.

Jul 26, 2022 View in browser   By Brakkton Booker and Marissa Martinez With help from Ella Creamer, Rishika Dugyala and Teresa Wiltz Mark Lennihan/AP Photo What up, Recast family!  Indiana convenes a special legislative session to take up an abortion ban. Vice President Kamala Harris travels to the Hoosier state to boost Democrats on the abortion fight frontlines. Meanwhile, Pope Francis apologizes to Canada's Indigenous community for the Roman Catholic Church's role in rampant abuse carried out against its children. First, though, we examine voter sentiment among the nation's fastest-growing voting bloc. Americans who identify as Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) are jazzed about participating in midterm elections this fall. But Democrats and Republicans alike are sleeping on this rapidly growing demographic that has the potential to swing control of Congress, according to a new survey . The poll, conducted by Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), AAPI Data and Asian Americans Advancing Justice found that 84 percent of Asian Americans overall say they planned to vote in November. But just 51 percent of AAPI registered voters say they've been contacted by Republicans or Democrats in the past year — a sign that both parties have a lot of ground to gain with this voting bloc, which is growing in political clout. The key, experts say, is to engage them in a meaningful way. "[The parties] are leaving out people who are actually interested in voting," Christine Chen, executive director of APIAVote said during a press call with reporters Monday. APIAVote is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing civic engagement among Asian Americans, which is the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the country. During the previous election cycle, Asian American voter turnout set an all-time record with nearly 60 percent of eligible voters casting ballots in 2020, according to the Census Bureau. WHO WAS SURVEYED The pre-midterm poll included 1,601 registered voters from the Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese communities — the top six Asian American groups by population size. The interviews were also offered in Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese, as well as English, according to survey officials. That's a key detail for politicians wooing this demographic: 77 percent of AAPI voters speak a language other than English at home, according to the survey. When it comes to party affiliation, the survey found that a majority of registered Asian American voters, 56 percent, identified as Democrat, while roughly a quarter (26 percent) identified as Republican. A further 17 percent identified as independents. When broken down by national heritage, political differences emerge. Indian American voters showed the deepest loyalty to the Democratic Party, at 70 percent, with Japanese Americans not far behind at 65 percent. Conversely, Vietnamese Americans are up for grabs, with 39 percent favoring the Republican Party — the highest among any group surveyed. But Vietnamese Americans also had the highest proportion of independent voters, at 27 percent, while 34 percent said they favored Democrats. Vietnamese voters also showed a near-even split when asked about party preferences in contests for control of the U.S. House, with 35 percent saying they would vote for the Democratic candidate and 40 percent saying they'd cast ballots for the GOP candidate. TOP ISSUE: HEALTH CARE AAPI voters are worried about inflation, the economy, voting rights and immigration, the survey found. But interestingly, health care tops the list of their concerns. "That's fascinating. We don't typically think of this as a health care election," said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder of AAPI Data. But he said, lingering pandemic and other Covid-related economic disruptions are likely fueling those concerns. "Asian Americans are not single-issue voters. They're not just civil rights voters, they're not just immigration voters," he said. Nearly all respondents said they were concerned about hate crimes, which isn't surprising, as research shows Asian American communities are being targeted at unprecedented levels . Nearly three quarters of AAPI voters surveyed — 73 percent — said they worry about experiencing hate crimes, harassment and discrimination at least "sometimes," while 24 percent said they worry about it "very often." ADMINISTRATION FAVORABILITY RATINGS When it comes to President Joe Biden' s job performance, Asian American voters overall gave Biden favorable marks, with 56 percent having a favorable or somewhat favorable impression of the commander in chief. But what about Vice President Kamala Harris? Her favorability topped out at 49 percent, which does not surprise Janelle Wong, co-director at AAPI Data and professor of Asian American studies at the University of Maryland. "When I look at these data, it looks like it's a lack of familiarity with Harris," Wong told The Recast. Eleven percent of registered voters said they didn't know enough about the nation's first Asian vice president, while only 4 percent of respondents said they didn't know much about Biden. Harris, who is of Black and Indian heritage, may not be "seen by the entire Asian community as authentically Asian," Wong says, adding that those sentiments are gradually changing. Things are about to get interesting: Today, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced a seven-figure investment in digital, print and radio advertising to woo AAPI voters. As always, we'll keep tabs on these voter trends as the midterms quickly approach. All the best, The Recast Team   Power dynamics are changing. With The Recast, you'll get a twice-weekly breakdown of how race and identity are the DNA of American politics and policy. Was this forwarded to you by a friend? Subscribe to the newsletter here .   VEEP'S NUMBERS DIP AMONG BLACK VOTERS   Black voters are cooling on both Harris and Biden's job performance a little more than three months ahead of midterms, according to a new Black to the Future Action Fund (B2F) survey shared exclusively with The Recast. In findings slated to be released on Thursday, this survey finds that although Biden and Harris enjoy broad support among this voting bloc, their support waned significantly in the past year. The president and vice president each received an average of 71 percent approval rating. However, in July of 2021, this same survey had Harris at the high watermark of 77 percent. Biden was 2 points higher a year ago at 79 percent. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on July 26, 2021. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images These dips among a key demographic in an election year indicate the administration needs to prioritize policies popular among Black Americans , according to Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter and principal at B2F. "From the economy to white supremacy to reproductive justice, Black people in this country want bold, progressive policies that protect us, our families and communities," Garza said in a statement. "Our data shows consistent and overwhelming approval for a reinstatement of the Child Tax Credit and foreclosure ban, the authorization of rent and mortgage cancellations to weather the current housing crisis, and a federal increase to $15 an hour minimum wage." Still, the favorability ratings for both Biden and Harris among Black voters are far higher than most national polls. According to the Real Clear Politics average of national polls, POTUS and Veep favorability ratings among voters of all races hover at a paltry 37 percent.   HARRIS ON ABORTION FIGHT IN INDY  While we're on the veep, it appears her team has found a sweet spot: hitting the campaign trail and fundraising circuit to promote Democratic efforts to fight strict GOP-backed abortion legislation. "The events reflect the vice president's expanding work on abortion policy since the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Roe v. Wade," my colleague, POLITICO's Eugene Daniels reports . WATCH: Harris: 'Some people need to actually learn how a woman's body works' She reprised this effort in Indianapolis on Monday. This trip was more about policy than politics, as she didn't meet with a specific campaign. She delivered remarks at an event ahead of the Indiana Legislature convening a special legislative session to take up new abortion restrictions.  Harris appeared at a roundtable that included dozens of Democratic legislative and state officials gathered to condemn the GOP-led bill that would ban nearly all abortions. She railed against the Dobbs ruling that overturned Roe. "The idea that, in some states, after a child or a woman or a man — but in particular, on this case of abortion, a woman or a child — would have endured such an act of violence, and then to suggest that she would not have the autonomy and authority to make a decision about what happens to her body is outrageous," Harris said . The Hoosier state, as Adam Wren, another POLITICO colleague, notes "has become an unexpected flashpoint in the national debate over abortion in recent weeks." It stems from the much-publicized case of a a 10-year-old rape victim who crossed state lines from Ohio to get an abortion in Indiana. But Democrats and abortion rights advocates have little hope of redirecting the expected passage of the abortion ban — Republicans control the governor's mansion and both chambers of the statehouse with supermajorities.   ICYMI @ POLITICO THE POPE'S MEA CULPA — In Edmonton, Alberta, on Monday, Pope Francis pleaded for forgiveness, professed empathy for survivors and descendants and vowed that an investigation would be launched. He was referring to the church's own conduct where it, along with the Canadian government, forcibly removed 150,000 Indigenous children from their homes, installing them in boarding schools where they were stripped of their languages and culture and were often beaten. POLITICO's Matt Berg and Nick Taylor-Vaisey have more . Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo LIVE and LET LIVE — Family members and survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks are planning a protest at former president Donald Trump's golf club in Bedminster, N.J. POLITICO's Meridith McGraw reports the venue will host the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament there this week. IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE? — White House officials are peppered with questions about the whereabouts of Biden's physician. POLITICO's Joseph Gedeon sat down for an exclusive interview with the family of Shireen Abu Akleh , the Palestinian American journalist who was killed by a sniper's bullet while reporting on the West Bank earlier this year. Media outlets, human rights organizations and the Palestinian government investigated the shooting and found the IDF was responsible for the fatal shot. But earlier this month, a State Department investigation found Abu Akleh was killed accidentally by Israel Defense Forces: "[There's] no reason to believe that this was intentional but rather the result of tragic circumstances." Those findings don't sit well with her family members, who are scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken today. "She's a human being who was killed in cold blood," her niece, Lina Abu Akleh, said. "Practicing her right to freedom of speech. The very least this administration should have done, and it could still do, is to launch a thorough, credible and, most importantly, a transparent investigation."   THE RECAST RECOMMENDS A couple of trailers for upcoming film releases caught our attention. First up is "Till" a biopic about the brutal 1955 killing of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi and his mother's push for justice. Check out the preview here . On the lighter side (though we're still mourning the loss of Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa), the "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" trailer just dropped … and wow! In " How to Read Now ," published today, Elaine Castillo convinces us that engaging with the written word is a political act — and that we should be more daring in our reading picks. With that advice in mind, we're also recommending " Poūkahangatus ," a poetry collection by Tayi Tibble that rewrites mythologies — Greek, Māori, feminist — in contemporary terms. " Rap Sh!t ," which premiered last week on HBO Max, chronicles two women trying to make it as a rap duo in Miami. It's the perfect fun summer watch. Are you obsessed with the FX show "The Bear" yet? If not, find out why you should be . Dive into the world of Afrolatina soul music with this playlist honoring the women of the genre both past and present. Check out the animated video for The Weeknd's " How Do I Make You Love Me ?" Is it genius? Or just plain creepy? (Maybe both?) TikTok of the day: "I'm a cupcake."   Follow us on Twitter Brakkton Booker @brakktonbooker Rishika Dugyala @rishikadugyala Teresa Wiltz @teresawiltz   Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.