Kamala Makes Her Pitch To Asian Voters

The Harris campaign has launched a new ad targeting Asian American voters in Nevada, showcasing their support for Vice President Kamala Harris’s economic initiatives. This strategic move comes as recent polling indicates that this demographic backs Harris by a significant margin of 2-to-1.

Andrew Peng, the campaign’s spokesperson for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities, highlighted the contrast between Harris’s policies and those of former President Trump. “While Trump’s presidency led to increased discrimination against Asian-owned businesses and higher unemployment rates among Asian Americans, Vice President Harris has championed record support for Asian entrepreneurs, driving remarkable small business growth and job creation,” Peng stated.

In the ad, five individuals from the Asian American community in Nevada argue that Trump has a self-serving agenda, whereas Harris focuses on the economy. Her plans include reducing housing costs, preventing price gouging on groceries, and implementing tax cuts for new businesses. The campaign has also announced efforts to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles that hinder small business tax filings, aiming for 25 million new business applications during her first term, alongside low-interest loans for startups.

With approximately 1.3 million eligible Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander voters in key battleground states—like Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania—this ad buy is part of a broader $370 million campaign investment leading up to Election Day.

Harris’s campaign has designed a Nevada-specific ad that emphasizes her commitment to ending taxes on tips, which aligns with the needs of the state’s service-oriented economy. Gaining the support of Asian American voters is crucial for Harris’s strategy to secure victory in Nevada, where this demographic comprises nearly 12 percent of the population.

This advertising initiative is part of a larger outreach effort to engage the fastest-growing voter demographic in the nation. The campaign has appointed dedicated staff to focus on Asian American communities in swing states and has developed targeted communication strategies, including ads in ethnic media outlets and a mailer campaign designed to inform and mobilize voters.

Furthermore, the Indian Impact Fund has joined the effort, announcing a $3.5 million advertising campaign aimed specifically at South Asian voters, marking it as one of the largest initiatives targeting Asian Americans in electoral history. Chauncey McLean, president of Future Forward, stressed the importance of this coalition for Harris’s campaign, emphasizing the stakes involved and the choice voters face: between Trump’s economic policies that favor the wealthy and Harris’s vision of economic opportunity for working families.

This concerted effort by both campaigns reflects the increasing recognition of Asian American voters as a critical part of the electoral landscape, particularly in swing states where their influence can be decisive.