09/10/2020: DCCC takes aim at Michelle Steel
Also this week: Wu’s future in Boston; activists blast MN GOP chair; AAVS preview; Trump’s SCOTUS picks; Texas $$$
By ANDREW PENG and SHAWNA CHEN
Editor’s Note: This is a preview of the September 10, 2020 edition of The Yappie, a newsletter about Asian American power, politics, and influence. Subscribers hold exclusive early access to the newsletter every week, with additional coverage and resources. Subscribe for free here.
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The Big Story
📺 UPDATE — DCCC HITS AIRWAVES IN CA-48: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Independent Expenditure arm released its first-ever Vietnamese language TV ad in California on Wednesday, taking aim at GOP hopeful Michelle Steel (R). Here’s what you need to know…
- Why this matters: The 30-second spot will air on the Asian cable outlet VietFaceTV as part of the group’s initial $45,000 ad buy announced in August. House Democrats have been ramping up efforts to reach the state’s growing number of Vietnamese American voters, who they contend will be pivotal in several closely-watched Orange County races.
- The numbers: The DCCC and the campaign of incumbent Rep. Harley Rouda (D-California) have five fellows who are responsible for outreach to the community, DCCC AAPI Media Advisor Darwin Pham tells The Yappie. Organizers have called over 3,000 voters and sent more than 12,000 texts, with a majority being in Vietnamese.
On The Issues
📡 PARTY OUTREACH REMAINS ABYSMAL — Ahead of next Tuesday’s release of the 2020 Asian American Voter survey (mark your calendars), preliminary polling conducted by researchers at AAPI Data indicates that a “vast majority” of registered AAPI voters have not yet been contacted by either of the two major parties.
💉 THE VACCINE DEBATE — A majority of Asian Americans say they would get a government-approved coronavirus vaccine if it becomes widely available, according to an August NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll. Notably, Asian Americans are the only racial group in which a majority of adults express comfort with getting vaccinated.
🗣 RACIAL RECKONING — An NPR/Ipsos poll conducted August 20–21 shows most Asian Americans have personally taken actions to better understand racial issues in America since the death of George Floyd in May, with 59% expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement. A Gallup survey from July found that 89% of Asian adults supported protests over racial injustice; 74% reported that the demonstrations affected their views.
On The Trail
HAPPENING TODAY — APAICS facilitates a discussion on voting rights at 2pm ET, and APIAVote hosts a Zoom call on phone banking at 4pm ET.
📱 BIDEN’S AAPI MOBILIZATION EFFORTS: Former vice president Joe Biden’s (D) campaign kicked off a series of virtual phone banks this week as part of its national “AAPIs Assemble” program, which launched late last month. AAPIs for Biden tells The Yappie that volunteers are seeking to engage voters in Nevada, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas, and Arizona.
TRUMP UNVEILS NEW SCOTUS PICKS: President Donald Trump (R) included Texas judge James Ho on his revamped list of possible U.S. Supreme Court picks on Wednesday in a bid to energize conservatives. Missouri judge Sarah Pitlyk, another name on the White House shortlist, was slammed by the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum.
💬 FOCUS ON SOUTH ASIANS: With Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California) in the national spotlight, attention has swung to the South Asian community and its diverse interests. The Juggernaut’s Sonia Paul has a deep dive on South Asian political activism, while The 19th examined Indian American voters’ perceptions of Harris.
THE LONG READ — COUNTING IMMIGRANT VOICES: A backlog in naturalization applications at USCIS is threatening to prevent an unknown number of immigrants from casting their first ballots this year, the Washington Post’s Michelle Ye Hee Lee reports.
AAPI Nation
Here’s what else is happening across America…
👀 ONE RACE TO WATCH — MICHELLE WU’S POLITICAL FUTURE: Boston City Councilor and Asian American trailblazer Michelle Wu (D) is expected to challenge incumbent Mayor Marty Walsh (D) in 2021, the Boston Globe reports.
- Related… From the Globe’s Shirley Leung: “In confirming Michelle Wu’s run for mayor, Marty Walsh committed a political faux pas.”
MN ACTIVISTS BLAST CARNAHAN: Minnesota GOP Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan is accusing the state’s Coalition of Asian American Leaders of a “reverse racial smear campaign” after local AAPI groups criticized her defense of President Trump’s coronavirus rhetoric in an August 31 letter. Carnahan has been traveling to swing states on behalf of the Asian Pacific Americans for Trump coalition and recently visited the campaign’s Nevada AAPI community center.
UPROAR IN LITTLE SAIGON: Democratic Party of Orange County vice chair Jeff LeTourneau resigned last Wednesday after coming under fire for sharing a Facebook post praising Vietnamese Communist leader Ho Chi Minh, the Voice of OC’s Brandon Pho reports.
💸 ICYMI — AAPI SUPER PAC GOES ‘ALL IN’ ON TX: The AAPI Victory Fund is expected to spend $1 million to boost AAPI candidates in Texas, the Houston Chronicle reports, with most of the money likely to go towards mobilizing Asian American voters in the suburbs. The group endorsed Biden in January.
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