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Ranking in the top 3 states with the largest proportion of AAPIs, Nevada has emerged a key battleground state in the presidential election.
At nearly 12% of Nevada’s electorate, AAPIs make up a significant share of prospective voters this year. The population has grown by 45.1% since 2012, according to APIAVote and AAPI Data.
Voter demographics
Filipinos comprise 44% of AAPIs in Nevada, making up the largest AAPI ethnic group with 178,688 people.
Voter engagement has been lacking in the state, however. The 2022 Asian American Voter Survey showed that 56% of AAPIs had no or uncertain contact from Democrats while 66% reported the same from the Republicans. Of contacted AAPI registered voters, 44% reported outreach from Democrats and 35% from Republicans.
In 2020 and 2022, the Republican National Committee made a well-publicized push to attract voters of color by opening minority outreach centers in Las Vegas and other swing states, which they billed as long-term investments. These centers—including the Asian Pacific American Community Center in Las Vegas’ Chinatown—closed their doors earlier this year.
In their campaigns
- Vice President Kamala Harris has dropped several campaign ads targeted at AAPIs. These TV spots are part of a larger $90 million media buy across several battleground states and will air on ethnic media platforms like Filipino Channel, 3HmongTV, SBS Television Korea, and Zee TV.
- Vegas-based community leader Rozita Lee featured in the health care-focused ad, saying in the video that “Trump scares me. He wants to terminate health care protections for people in our community.”
- In a recent visit to Las Vegas, Harris’ running mate Gov. Tim Walz (D) made a stop at Tiabi Coffee & Waffle, where he engaged in conversation with AAPI community members and business owners. “It’s nice because he really interacts with the people here,” Margie Gonzalez, a Filipino American community leader, said afterwards. “He has no walls and he’s down to earth. He says that when he was in the Philippines, he knew how to connect with the people he talked to.”
- Gwen Walz, Walz’s wife, launched a campaign event on Sept. 17 at Xiao Long Dumplings restaurant in Las Vegas’ Chinatown. The event is the start of a major canvassing effort to mobilize Nevada Democrats from the AANHPI community. In October, former President Bill Clinton similarly stopped by Seafood City, a popular supermarket for Filipino Americans, to stump for Harris and encourage early voting.
- The Harris campaign also rolled out billboards and taxi tops around the Pinoy Pride festival last month and funded a branded truck in Las Vegas that distributed ube cookies while encouraging people to vote.
- Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump (R) held his first AAPI-focused rally last week in Las Vegas, where he emphasized his plan to cut Social Security benefits, reduce taxes and energy bills, end illegal immigration, and open up some federal lands to build more affordable housing. He was joined by former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawai‘i), who previously campaigned on his behalf in Nevada.
- The “Unite for Change” rally was planned to be a celebration of the AAPI community and sought to “promote unity and encourage voter participation,” according to the campaign announcement.
- Over the course of his almost 90-minute remarks, Trump only briefly acknowledged the rally’s theme, saying “we’re going to build an economy that lifts up all Americans, including … members of our great Asian American and Pacific Islander community.” Trump also praised the “hardworking” Filipino community and in particular, their “most beautiful clothing” with “such bright colors.”
- Trump stirred up some controversy, however, when he spoke about his personal relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping and repeated his usage of the term “China virus,” which studies have shown contributed to the rise in anti-Asian hate during and after the pandemic.
On the ground
Las Vegas locals and community organizers launched a three-week long tour, including stops in other swing states, on Sept. 10.
Led by advocacy groups including the Asian Community Development Council, the National Partnership for New Americans, and the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, the effort aims to raise awareness for how naturalized citizens can make their votes count in the upcoming election.
South Asians for Harris also held an AANHPI weekend of action in Nevada in October.
Gloria Caoile, a Filipino American community leader and Democratic organizer, told the New York Times Amy Qin that the Democrats’ targeted mobilization efforts, such as voter registration drives at Filipino supermarkets, are encouraging more Filipino Americans to vote this year.
“For a long time, civic engagement was nonexistent because most of our folks were working two or three jobs or running their own businesses,” Caoile said. “But now the tide has changed.”
Ana Wood, director of the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce, expressed the same sentiment in a recent interview with the Nevada Independent. “[Politicians] are more involved,” Wood said. “They are more aware that the Asian vote matters.”
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