How Joe Biden can show his appreciation for Asian-American voters

Asian-American voters strongly supported Biden even though neither political party actively reached out to them. Now is the time for the president-elect to recognise that loyalty and include more Asian-Americans in his governing team

Chi Wang

Published: 12:30am, 11 Dec 2020

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Over a month after election day, President-elect Joe Biden has started announcing many of his early choices for cabinet positions. Many are diverse and historic selections, including Linda Thomas-Greenfield as UN ambassador, Alejandro Mayorkas as secretary of Homeland Security and Janet Yellen as Treasury secretary.

However, the core advisers Biden is surrounding himself with in the positions of chief of staff, national security adviser and secretary of state – Ron Klain, Jake Sullivan and Antony Blinken respectively – are white men.

The cabinet is far from filled and many posts still require Senate approval – but on Wednesday it was reported that Biden is set to nominate House Ways and Means Committee trade lawyer Katherine Tai to be US Trade Representative.

And Neera Tanden, the daughter of Indian immigrants, is Biden’s pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget, but her standing with Republicans and progressive Democrats makes her confirmation by the Senate questionable.

US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (left) and Florence Fang, co-founder of the George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, tour San Francisco’s Chinatown on February 24 amid the coronavirus outbreak. Photo: AFP

Biden won the Asian vote with a decisive 61 per cent margin, according to CNN exit polls – an anticipated outcome. As the Asian population in the US has grown and become more politically engaged, they have leaned increasingly Democratic, though large numbers of the community remain politically independent. Lack of outreach from political parties has reinforced this trend.

The 2020 election was no different. As first reflected in the Asian-American Voter Survey, released in September, exit poll data shows that many Asians reported receiving no contact from either party. Biden attempted greater outreach to the community in the six weeks before the election, but it is unclear whether this actually connected with voters.

Asian voters’ potential to influence the 2020 election by swinging dramatically towards the Democrats was touted after the 2018 midterms saw record Asian voter turnout. Although we do not have complete data on Asian voter turnout in 2020 yet, it is apparent from exit polls that analysts were wrong in assuming more dramatic Democratic support among Asians.

Early exit polls suggest Donald Trump improved on his overall support from the Asian community compared to 2016 by about three percentage points.

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This disappointed many Democrats, who believed the president’s use of racist and derogatory terms for the coronavirus, and the increase in discrimination towards Asians in the wake of the pandemic, would further drive Asian voters to support Democratic candidates.

I’m sure most Asian voters were disgusted by Trump’s use of these terms. But I am sceptical that this alone influenced their decisions. Would more Asians have voted for Trump if he had never used the term “kung flu?”

For most, their support for Biden ran deeper than a purely emotional response to Trump’s rhetoric. The Atlantic spoke to 12 Asian voters in Pennsylvania about their voting decisions. While this is admittedly a small sample size, they came from an array of socioeconomic backgrounds and represented urban, rural and suburban areas in a key swing state.

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Of those who said they were voting for Biden, most raised issues like health care and the environment, beyond Trump’s rhetoric and their own identification with the Asian-American community. Just two people said they would vote for Trump.

Both identified with traditional Republican policies – like abortion and taxes – while one cited Trump’s response to the protests and looting that gripped some US cities this summer.

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Analysts were also wrong, or overzealous, in estimating the impact of Kamala Harris’s selection as vice-president on voters in the Indian community. While Biden still secured a clear majority of the Indian vote, data suggests Trump gained support in this community compared to 2016.

I was sceptical from the beginning that Harris would have any real impact on the election. Those who were most inspired by her selection were mostly young, liberal and female groups who were probably going to support Biden anyway.

I do not think Harris was really chosen for her ability to influence the Asian community, but rather for her appeal to black voters, especially in the wake of racial reckoning that swept the US over the summer.

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If neither party can find a way to demonstrate to the Asian community that they value their perspectives and understand their interests, Asian voters may become apathetic and stop engaging in the political process.

The impact of this will go beyond voter turnout, reinforcing the perception of many in the community that American politics is predominantly limited to those of a European background or from more vocal minorities.

If young Asian-Americans interested in politics see no paths to higher political or government offices, they may not even bother to seek them.

Representative Judy Chu (centre), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, is joined by House Democratic Caucus chair Hakeem Jeffries, House majority leader Steny Hoyer, and Representative Karen Bass, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, as they speak to reporters about the 2020 Census on Capitol Hill in Washington, on March 5. Photo: AP

If the Democratic Party wants Asian voters to consistently support its candidates – including in the upcoming Georgia Senate run-offs – it needs to demonstrate that they will reap the same benefits as black, Latino and female voters who see members of their communities represented in key offices.

On December 7, Biden met virtually members of the Congressional Asia Pacific American Caucus. The caucus, and other Asian-American and Pacific Islanders advocacy groups, had already pressed Biden to select more Asian candidates for his cabinet.

Such a gesture can show his appreciation of the millions of Asian voters who supported him – voters he did very little to reach out to in the first place.

While there are now many more Asian voters than there were when I started voting in 1958, I am frustrated to see that this increased political engagement has not opened many doors for Asians in government offices.

Biden has a chance to change this. When the American Election Eve Poll surveyed Asian voters on whether they believed Biden truly cared about them, 54 per cent said yes. If he really does care, it is time to show it.

Chi Wang, a former head of the Chinese section of the US Library of Congress, is president of the US-China Policy Foundation

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