Asians to Democrats: You’re not doing enough to win our votes
Lawsuits and court decisions weakening the Voting Rights Act-notably the Supreme Court’s *Louisiana v. Callais*-are raising concerns about voting power in the South not only for African American voters but also for other groups whose portrayal and turnout could be affected.Asian American leaders warn that Democrats, with fewer than six months until the midterms, may not be able to rely on general anti-Trump enthusiasm to win or mobilize Asian American voters.
At an AAPI Victory Fund gala, leaders argued that many Asian American voters feel misunderstood or under-engaged by both parties, and they noted that outreach gaps have left communities with a limited “baseline understanding” of Democratic messaging. They also pointed to demographic and polling realities: Asian Americans have become the fastest-growing eligible voter group since 2020, Trump gained share among Asian American voters in 2024, and his favorability within the community has since fallen in subsequent polling. Even so,Democrats still face the challenge of persuading voters that they will directly fight for Asian American priorities.
Speakers emphasized that Democrats must show they can be effective “fighters,” especially in competitive House districts across states such as California,Michigan,Arizona,and Texas. They warned that the post-*Callais* redistricting environment could make it harder for Democrats to hold power in future cycles (including 2028) if new district maps further constrain representation. Leaders suggested that Democrats may consider aggressive map-making in response, while still needing Asian American voters to believe their interests are genuinely a priority. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Sen. Tammy Duckworth framed the effort as defending democracy and ensuring Asian American voices are reflected in representation and legislation.
The Supreme Court‘s weakening of the Voting Rights Act in the Louisiana v. Callais ruling has led to much anxiety about the representation of African American voters in the Deep South. But leaders in the Asian American community are also warning that the ruling could affect the Democratic Party‘s ability to galvanize their voters with less than six months until the midterm elections.
At a recent Asian American Pacific Islander Victory Fund gala, leaders cautioned Democrats against taking their vote for granted.
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“The education curve for not only Asians themselves, but all of our allies, our partners in the South, or even nationally working with our democratic partners, we still aren’t understood as part of this progressive fabric,” said Linh Nguyen, president and CEO of AAPI Victory Power Fund.
“When we’re talking to these Asian communities, and specifically in states like Georgia, their baseline understanding is … low,” Nguyen, a former AAPI outreach director for the 2021 campaigns of Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA), continued. “But it’s also because they don’t get the outreach from either side. And that’s been the consistent trend, where they don’t hear from us as Democrats, they don’t hear from Republicans.”
Asian Americans are the fastest-growing group of eligible voters since 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.
During the 2024 election, President Donald Trump won 40% of the Asian American vote, 10 percentage points higher than he did in the 2020 election. But polling during Trump’s second administration has shown the president’s support among the community has plummeted.
In several congressional districts in California, Michigan, Arizona, and Texas, the Asian American vote will help decide which party wins competitive races that will determine whether the GOP can keep control of the House or Democrats can retake it.
Democrats, however, cannot solely rely on anti-Trump fervor to win the demographic. They will need to show voters the party can actually fight for their priorities. In some states like Texas, dissatisfaction with Democrats has caused some Indian Americans to run as Republicans.
“They want fighters now. They’re not looking for policy proposals,” said Shekar Narasimhan, chairman of the AAPI Victory Fund, while discussing internal polling.
If Democrats retake the House, they will be able to put some checks on the second half of Trump’s presidency. But after the high court weakened Section 2 of the VRA, and southern states are attempting to create new mid-decade districts, Democrats will likely have a harder time keeping control of the House in 2028 should they win it in 2026.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” added Narasimhan. “We’re at a different place altogether after Callais. I feel that the mood has shifted so that now we can reasonably expect that we will have literally thousands of people come out to vote that weren’t even planning to vote in the midterms.”
He did not rule out Democrats creating aggressive maps in response to the ruling, even if it means more Democratic leaders who are not of Asian American descent.
Yet Asian American voters will still need to be persuaded that the Democratic Party is prioritizing their interests.
“We consider them actually a persuadable community,” said Nguyen. “And it’s whoever gets in front of them first is oftentimes where they feel compelled to go.”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), one of the speakers at the AAPI Victory Fund gala, along with honoree Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), attempted to portray Democrats as fighting for the rights of Asian American voters.
“Norm Mineta was right when he told you that that terrible time that we went through as a country with the internment camps could happen again if we’re not vigilant,” Van Hollen said, referring to the former secretary of transportation and commerce. “And this moment we’re in is exactly one of those moments where we have to fight back, because this president is attacking the very idea of America.”
Van Hollen accused Trump of attempting to tear apart the nation. “We need to fight back with everything we’ve got, because as part of that effort, they’re also attacking our democracy and our Constitution,” he stated.
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Duckworth alluded to the work the party will need to do to convince Asian Americans to show up on Election Day during her remarks.
“We don’t have a stronger, more powerful nation that can lead the world and set the standards if some of us are left out of the halls of power, if some of us and our voices are not reflected in the laws and in the legislation and in representation,” said the Illinois senator. “And so you being here is more than what most Americans are doing right now.”
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