Harris More Popular Than Trump Among AAPI Voters: Poll

Authors: TERRY TANG and LINLEY SANDERS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is viewed more favorably by registered voters of Asian descent, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander descent than former President Donald Trump, according to a new poll. AAPI voters are also more likely to believe she is the candidate who better represents their backgrounds and political views.

A new survey from AAPI Data and APIAVote found that about 6 in 10 AAPI voters have a very or somewhat favorable view of Harris, while about a third have a somewhat or very unfavorable view. By comparison, 3 in 10 AAPI voters have a favorable view of Trump, while about two-thirds have an unfavorable view.

That’s a rise in Harris’ support from October 2023, when an AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll found that about half of AAPI adults had a somewhat or very favorable view of her. Views of Trump among that group remained stable.

Harris is Black and South Asian American, and has worked to unite AAPI voters in key swing states like Georgia, where their numbers are growing. But while polling suggests AAPI voters are much more likely to see their own cultural identity reflected in her than in Trump — about half of AAPI voters say Harris better represents their background and culture, while only about 1 in 10 say that about Trump — it’s unclear how much that affects their perspectives on the candidates.

Only about 3 in 10 AAPI voters say Harris’ Asian Indian identity is extremely or very important to them, though some AAPI Americans may feel more connected to her background than others. About 7 in 10 Asian Indian adults see Harris as the candidate who better represents their background and culture, higher than among AAPI adults overall.

Ping Hackl, a 27-year-old Chinese-American from Tulsa, Oklahoma, plans to vote for Harris, but not because of the Democratic candidate’s race or gender.

“I really don’t care. She could be anyone,” Hackl said.

Hackl says he worries about preserving democracy and the divisions that could lead to political violence. That’s why he thinks Trump “is very dangerous for the country.”

In fact, the poll suggests that Harris’ gender may be more salient to AAPI voters than her race. While Harris’ campaign has avoided emphasizing that she could be the first female president, about half of AAPI voters say her identity as a woman is extremely or very important to them.

AAPI women are more likely than AAPI men to say that their Asian or Asian American background is at least “very” important to how they see themselves, and they’re also more likely to say that about their identity as a person of color. And younger AAPI voters, those aged 18 to 34, are especially likely to care about Harris’ identity as a woman.

“We’ve seen a ton of organizing from young people, as well as AAPI women, who are really leading different ethnic affinity groups, like South Asians for women, South Asians for Harris, Koreans for Harris, Chinese for Harris,” said Christine Chen, executive director of APIAVote.

And the survey suggests AAPI voters may be hearing more from Democratic organizers. About 4 in 10 AAPI voters said the Democratic Party had contacted them “very often” or “often” in the past year, while about 3 in 10 said the same about the Republican Party.

Trump and Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance have recently repeated old stereotypes about Asian Americans and food, amplifying false rumors that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, eat pets, and a poll found that the issue of racism is broadly salient to the group. About 7 in 10 AAPI voters say they “could never” vote for a candidate who doesn’t share their views on racism or discrimination, making it a bigger “decisive issue” than the economy.

But not all AAPI voters have a negative view of Trump. Jihua Ma, a 45-year-old naturalized Chinese citizen living in Boston, leans Republican and voted for Trump in 2020. Ma believes Trump is still the most effective leader.

“I understand that he is mean and sometimes posts mean photos,” Ma said. “I will choose someone who will really govern this country, not someone who will be a friend, a nice person.”

Ma wants someone who can get a handle on inflation and the border, and Harris’s proposals on those issues have left him unsatisfied. “I don’t think her policies have a solid platform,” Ma said, adding that he couldn’t recall any accomplishments Harris had as vice president or a senator from California.

And it’s still possible that Trump could make inroads among AAPI voters, although the popularity gap between the candidates leaves a lot of ground to cover. “The issue where the GOP could erode AAPI support is the economy and crime,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and executive director of AAPI Data. “And I think that’s where, you know, Harris tried to blunt some of that criticism with some proposals.”

Tang reported from Phoenix.

Originally published: September 24, 2024 at 12:55 PM