How organizers are mobilizing Pa.'s 600,000-member strong Asian American community to elect Kamala Harris

Wei Chen has been a political organizer and activist for more than 10 years. But he just received his first ever candidate campaign mailer translated into Chinese two days ago from Democratic Sen. Bob Casey’s reelection campaign.

“I refused to throw it away because I want to keep that,” Chen said. “I want to show all the politicians that this is a model you should practice.”

Chen is part of a network of elected officials, organizers and activists who are mobilizing Pennsylvania’s 600,000-person strong Asian American and Pacific Islander, or AAPI, community, as they work to elect the first Asian American president. The electorate makes up more than 3% of eligible Pennsylvania voters. It’s diverse and hails from regions stretching from Hawaii to the Middle East. That means the group’s top issues are varied, organizers said. And because of the wide ethnic range, Vice President Kamala Harris’ identity as a half-Indian woman may not resonate much with all AAPI voters.

“When we talk about her, I hardly talk about her identity,” said Philadelphia Councilmember Nina Ahmad. “Because what I’m talking about is what will she deliver for the people.”



https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/asian-pacific-islander-voters-pennsylvania-kamala-harris-2024-election-20241102.html