WASHINGTON—The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) rolled out a slew of ads Tuesday morning in several districts across Texas—including the Committee’s first-ever Hindi and Chinese language video advertisements in the state’s 22nd congressional district.
The DCCC’s ads in TX-22 (English, Hindi, Chinese) are aimed at boosting Democratic hopeful Sri Preston Kulkarni, who is set to face Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls (R) in the fall. Kulkarni has been campaigning in multiple South Asian languages since his 2018 bid in the battleground district, according to the Texas Tribune’s Meena Venkataramanan, and the former diplomat came within 14,000 votes of defeating retiring Rep. Pete Olson (R). In his second run for the seat, Kulkarni is upping his voter outreach to 21 different languages.
With a little more than 100 days to go before Election Day, the ads will be the first of many as the DCCC prepares to communicate to Asian American and Pacific Islander voters more aggressively through in-language paid and ethnic media, Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) media adviser Darwin Pham tells The Yappie.
Going on the offensive
The DCCC, which is charged with electing Democrats to the House, seeks to shore up AAPI support in key suburban districts—areas that are increasingly diverse and that have come to define Texas' expanding House battlefield.
The organization began focus group research with AAPI communities back in January followed by a larger nationwide poll across key battleground districts with large AAPI populations as part of the larger Cycle of Engagement program—which includes field staff dedicated to AAPI outreach.
In their February survey, the DCCC found that AAPI voters in battleground districts favor a Democratic candidate on the generic congressional ballot by 33 points, Vox’s Li Zhou writes.
Powered by record level fundraising, Democrats see TX-22 as a top pick-up opportunity in November because of its majority-minority electorate. The district is 19% AAPI, and Kulkarni was added to the DCCC’s highly competitive “Red to Blue” program in April.
A wave of ads
Along with Texas’ 22nd congressional district, the Democrats also rolled out ads in Texas’ 10th and 24th District, which highlight the “disastrous records” of former Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne (R) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R).
“Nearly 3 nearly million Texans have filed for unemployment since this pandemic began, but reckless candidates like Congressman McCaul, Troy Nehls and Beth Van Duyne are still running on stripping away health care from Texans,” DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos said in a statement to The Yappie. “As Texas communities reject their dangerous agenda along with an unprepared pandemic response, these new ads are the latest in our effort to engage the diverse communities that are putting seats across Texas in play.”
