Kamala Harris Leads Trump by 38 Points Among Asian American Voters

September 26 :
A recent poll by AAPI Data and Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) shows that among Asian American voters, Vice President Kamala Harris has a whopping 38-point lead against former President Donald Trump. Following President Biden's withdrawal from the race, the survey, which was conducted by the University of Chicago's NORC (National Opinion Research Center), reveals a spike in support for the Democratic ticket, pushing Harris' position up by 23 points.

This poll, conducted for the first time since Harris received the Democratic nomination, highlights the growing influence of the nation's fastest-growing voting bloc: Asian Americans. With 66% of Asian American voters planning to back Harris, compared to 28% who will back Trump, the race is wide open. Just 6% have not made up their minds or are already supporting another candidate.

According to Christine Chen, co-founder and executive director of APIAVote, "These results reinforce what we've been hearing and seeing from the Asian American community since July: they are re-energized and poised to once again play a decisive role in the election." Even among Asian American voters, Harris' favorability has skyrocketed; 62% have a positive impression of the VP, an 18-point rise from April to May of 2024. Comparatively, just 28% of people like Trump, while 70% think he's terrible.

By a wide margin, Republican JD Vance is not as well-liked as Democratic vice presidential contender Tim Walz. Even among Asian American voters, 56% have a favorable impression of Walz, compared to 21% for Vance. "Asian American and Pacific Islander voters are poised to play a pivotal role in this election," explained Karthick Ramakrishnan, executive director of AAPI Data. Instead of guessing about the feelings of AAPI voters on the campaigns of Harris, Walz, and Vance, we have poll data that is indicative of the entire country to guide media coverage and public perception.

The survey also shows that voter certainty is on the upswing; for example, compared to earlier this year, 77% of Asian American voters are now "absolutely certain" that they would cast a ballot in the next election. Democratic Party voter outreach has been ramped up; 62% of Asian American voters have reported receiving contact from the party, compared to 46% for the Republican Party. For Asian American voters, Harris' gender identification is more important than her ethnic heritage or Asian Indian or South Asian identity (38% vs. 27%).

Taken between September 3 and 9, 2024, the 2024 AAPI Voter Survey sheds light on the voting patterns of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.