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? Good morning, and welcome to The Yappie's special briefing on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the 2022 election cycle. Send tips and feedback to [email protected] and support our work by making a donation.
— Edited by Shawna Chen
Pulse
? ASIAN AMERICANS SHIFT TO THE RIGHT: Compared to the 2018 midterm elections, Asian American support for the GOP jumped 17 points this November, writes POLITICO’s Marissa Martinez.
- The Republican National Committee poured millions into their efforts to reach AAPI voters and into races supporting GOP AAPI candidates ahead of this year’s midterms.
- Exit polls showed that 77% of Asian voters supported Democratic candidates in 2018, notes the Washington Post’s 2022 election analysis. Four years later, that number has dropped to about 6 in 10 based on network exit polls conducted by Edison Research and the Associated Press' VoteCast poll.
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Midterm Round-up
While Democrats secured a thin margin in the Senate, control of the House is still in limbo. Several races, including a face-off between two Asian American candidates in California’s 45th congressional district, remain too close to call.
The latest: Incumbent Rep. Michelle Steel (R) holds a thin lead over challenger Jay Chen (D) as of Sunday night. Pending a Steel victory, all incumbent Asian American members of Congress on the ballot this year are on track to win re-election, according to The Yappie’s preliminary tally.
✍️ Catch up on other races we’re monitoring and follow our live election coverage.
The Newcomers
THANEDAR CRUISES TO VICTORY: State Rep. Shri Thanedar (D) defeated small business liaison Martell Bivings (R) by 47 points on Tuesday to become the House representative for Michigan’s 13th congressional district, which includes most of Detroit.
- Thanedar, a longtime entrepreneur, campaigned on support for Medicare for All, reproductive rights, and equitable access to education, funneling millions of his own money into the race. His win makes him the fifth Indian American to hold a seat in Congress but leaves Detroit without Black representation on Capitol Hill for the first time in 70 years.
VOTERS PUT TOKUDA ON GLIDE PATH TO CONGRESS: Former state Sen. Jill Tokuda (D) handily defeated U.S. Air Force veteran Joseph Akana (R) by at least 27 points in the race for Hawai‘i’s 2nd congressional district.
- Tokuda ran a platform focused on improving the quality of Hawai‘i’s health care and mental health services, especially increasing access for rural communities and neighboring islands.
? SPOTLIGHT — Aruna Miller (D) won the race to serve as Maryland’s lieutenant governor, becoming the first-ever immigrant and first-ever Asian American elected statewide. Miller, who is Indian American and lives in Montgomery County, ran alongside Wes Moore (D), who also made history as the first Black governor elected in Maryland.
The Incumbents
YOUNG KIM SNAGS RE-ELECTION: Young Kim (R) defeated physician Asif Mahmood (D) in California’s newly redrawn 40th congressional district, winning a second term in the House with a 15-point lead as of Sunday night.
- Kim drew early support from the Republican National Committee, which launched its first Asian Pacific American community center in Orange County in a bid to target AAPI voters.
ANDY KIM HOLDS OFF FIERCE GOP CHALLENGE: Andy Kim (D) defeated business mogul Bob Healey Jr. (R) in the race to represent New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district, securing a third term with a nearly 11-point lead as of Sunday night.
- Kim’s district was redrawn in 2022 to include more Democratic voters than it had in the two previous elections. Though he is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Kim portrayed himself as more moderate on the campaign trail.
? ON OUR RADAR — ONE RACE TO WATCH: Rep. Katie Porter (D-California), a longtime champion of climate justice and ally to Pacific Islanders in Congress, leads GOP challenger Scott Baugh by a little under three points as of Sunday night in her race to represent California’s redrawn 47th congressional district.
- The face-off between Baugh and Porter, who has pressed the Biden administration on issues like the U.S.’s nuclear legacy in the Pacific and the Compact of Free Association negotiations, has come down to a margin much closer than expected.
- Control of the House will likely come down to races including Porter’s and Steel’s, which could take weeks to call, the Los Angeles Times’ Hannah Fry and Tyrone Beason write.
The Challengers Defeated
TRAN LOSES LONGSHOT BID: Dean Tran (R), a former Massachusetts state senator, lost to incumbent Rep. Lori Trahan (D) in the race for the state’s 3rd congressional district. The Vietnamese American had hoped to become the first Asian American elected to represent Massachusetts in Congress—and the first GOP candidate to win in the historically blue district in over 25 years.
GREEN UNABLE TO FLIP INDIANA SEAT: Jennifer-Ruth Green (R) failed to break Democrats' decades-long hold on a House seat in Indiana’s 1st congressional district. Had she been elected, she would’ve been the first Asian American woman elected to represent Indiana in Congress, the only Black Republican woman serving in the House, and just the second Black Republican woman in congressional history.
FUNG FALLS SHORT: Allan Fung (R) conceded to Rhode Island Treasurer Seth Magaziner (D) in the race to represent the state’s 2nd congressional district. Fung had aimed to become the first GOP candidate to win the district in over 30 years and would've been the first Asian American to represent Rhode Island in Congress.
WEXTON DEFEATS CAO: Hung Cao (R), a Vietnamese refugee and retired Navy captain, was unable to edge out incumbent Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D) in Virginia’s newly redrawn 10th congressional district. Cao had positioned himself in direct opposition to the Biden administration. He supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade and called for tighter border security and increased military funding.
NGUYEN FACES DEFEAT: Bee Nguyen (D) conceded the race for Georgia’s secretary of state to incumbent Brad Raffensperger (R) on Tuesday night, concluding a run that drew national attention and highlighted the battle to protect voting rights. Nguyen, the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, would have been the first Asian American woman to hold statewide office in Georgia.
Notable Wins
? Here are other election results from across America…
In Rhode Island, two Asian Americans were elected to the state legislature for the first time.
- Chinese American Victoria Gu (D), a software-engineer-turned-politician, flipped a seat in the state Senate and will replace state Rep. Dennis Algiere (R), who has served in the legislature for almost three decades.
- Meanwhile, Japanese American Linda Ujifusa (D), a town council member in Portsmouth and a former attorney in the Environmental Protection Agency, easily won her race for state Senate.
In Texas, Pakistani American corporate lawyer Salman Bhojani (D) and internal medicine physician Suleman Lalani (D) will become the first Muslims and South Asians ever elected to the Texas state legislature. Their wins reflect an upward trend in a midterm season with a record number of Muslim candidates, even in the face of continuing Islamophobia.
In Illinois, the Asian American Legislative Caucus saw its numbers in the General Assembly jump from four to nine members. Sharon Chung (D) and Hoan Huynh (D) will be the first Korean American and Vietnamese American, respectively, to serve in the chamber. Meanwhile, Nabeela Syed (D) and Abdelnasser Rashid (D) are the first Muslims elected to the General Assembly. Rashid is also the first Palestinian American elected.
- Rising power: The election outcomes are part of a growing number of progressive AAPI wins in the state, bolstered by organizing by groups like the Asian American Midwest Progressives. Illinois state Rep. Theresa Mah (D) celebrated the midterm results as progress from 2016, when she became the first Asian American elected to the General Assembly.
In Georgia, Bangladeshi American Nabilah Islam (D) and Palestinian American Ruwa Romman (D) became the first Muslim women elected to the state Senate and state House, respectively. Korean American lawyer Soo Hong (R) is also the first Republican Asian American woman elected to the state legislature, running on a platform that included eliminating the state income tax and protecting parents’ rights in education.
In Minnesota, educator and nonprofit leader Samantha Sencer-Mura (D) was elected the first Japanese American legislator in the state.
- Also: Hmong American Liz Lee (D), a St. Paul native, won her race in the Minnesota state House, with a focus on serving working-class families through support for affordable housing, public school funding, and small businesses.
In Guam, James Moylan (R) flipped the island’s non-voting delegate seat in Congress from Democrat to Republican for the first time since 1993 after defeating former Guam Legislature Speaker Judi Won Pat (D).
In New York, Nepali American Sarahana Shrestha (D), a climate organizer and Democratic socialist, won her race to serve in the state Assembly representing Hudson Valley, becoming one of a handful of Nepali lawmakers across the country.
- Focus on climate: Earlier this year, Shrestha earned a surprise victory against longtime Assemblymember Kevin Cahill (D) in the Democratic primary—a feat which her supporters attribute in part to voters’ desire to see climate action pushed forward.
In New Mexico, Reena Szczepanski (D), a policy organizer and public health advocate who previously served as chief of staff for the state House Speaker Brian Egolf (D), won her race unopposed to become the first Indian American woman elected to the state legislature. The chamber’s Democratic caucus has already nominated her as state House majority whip.
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