Georgia Senate Runoff: Asian American Voters Show Their Political Muscles

• One of Georgia’s fastest-growing voting blocs is made up of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
• This crucial bloc has been attracted to both the Walker and Warnock campaigns, ahead of the Senate race.
• Recent years have seen a rise in engagement by both GOP and Democratic groups with AAPI voters.

Every vote counts in Georgia’s pivotal Georgia where competitive statewide elections are the norm.

For Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, who have seen their political influence grow exponentially in Georgia over the past decade, the December 6 Senate election between Republican Herschel Walk and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock represents one more step in their community’s transformation into a significant electoral force in the Southern swing states.

Shekar Narasimhan (founder and chairman of AAPI Victory Fund) stated that Asian Americans are being sought out by both the Walker and Warnock campaign campaigns. This is in line with the need for strong voter engagement efforts.

Narasimhan stated to Politico that leaders and the candidate need to tell their community, “We have a positive message of change.” “And we believe that by doing what is required and continuing to do it, we are sending that message to them.”

According to TargetSmart data, the Democratic polling firm TargetSmart, Asian American voters cast a significantly higher number of ballots between 2016 and 2020. They went from 73,000 to 134,000 votes.

The 61,000-vote rise is more than the nearly 12,000-vote margin that allowed Joe Biden, the current President, to carry Georgia in 2020’s presidential election. This made him the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state since 1992.

It’s also higher than the roughly 37,000 vote lead Warnock won over Walker in the November general elections. (The Senate race will be contested as no candidate has received at least half of the votes required by state law.

According to exit polling by CNN, Warnock was favored by Asian American voters 20 points more than Walker (59%-39%).

Republicans are not letting up in their attempts to appeal to this rapidly-growing bloc of voters.

Last year, the Republican National Committee established an Asian Pacific American community facility in Gwinnett County. It is located in suburban Atlanta and boasts a large Asian population.

The newly elected governor. Brian Kemp developed relationships with Asian American voters during the course of his successful campaign. Democrat Stacey Abrams won this group’s vote. According to CNN exit polling, Kemp was only 8 points ahead of her (54%-46%). This is a better showing than Walker in general election.

According to Nabilah Islam, Georgia’s state senator-elect, “We are the only demographic group that keeps on going up.” Politico. “So I am confident that we will be a large voting bloc that will help Sen. Raphael Warnock win.”