At the Republican presidential debate on Wednesday night, two Indian Americans dominated the stage. Due to the rarity of their pairing and the intense media attention they received, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy’s ethnicity has received considerable attention. But according to recent data, Asian Americans don’t really give their identity much thought when they cast their votes.
According to a Pew Research Center poll published on Tuesday, the clear majority of Asian Americans gave little consideration to a candidate’s race while casting their ballots. According to the poll, up to 97% of Asian American voters responded that politicians’ policy stances were more important to them than their race or ethnicity.
Given such statistics, analysts opined that the two Republican celebrities weren’t going to win over the neighborhood’s support only on the basis of their identities — and they weren’t necessarily attempting to.
Asian American voters may be feeling a sense of curiosity, novelty, or even pride as a result of these two candidates’ success, according to Karthick Ramakrishnan, the executive director of the nonprofit organization AAPI Data. The likelihood that it will result in votes is quite low.
According to the poll, 62% of Asian American registered voters identified more with the Democratic Party, while 34% favored the Republican Party. According to the 2022 Asian American Voter Survey, Indian Americans were among the most liberal even among Asian Americans, with 56% of them identifying as Democrats and 15% as Republicans.
In comparison to the majority of Asian American and Indian American voters, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy “stand very far to the right,” according to Ramakrishnan. “It’s extremely unlikely that an Asian American Democrat will vote for an Asian American Republican candidate.”
Regardless of the candidates’ races, party lines typically keep steady for voters of all nationalities, he added. However, the poll also revealed that 68% of Asian American voters do support a president who champions the issues facing their community.
Varun Nikore, executive director of the AAPI Victory Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, said: “While there may be some first affinity because a person might look like them, it’s extremely important to voters that they’re right on the policies.” Nikki Haley may be popular, but ultimately, “What has she done for the community?” should be asked.
Haley’s spokesman assured NBC News that she would stand up for all Americans if elected president.
According to the spokesman, “Nikki Haley was raised on faith, family, & the promise of the American Dream, like many first-generation Asian-Americans.” Joe Biden, regrettably, is making it more difficult for so many Americans to realize their dreams. By lowering taxes, helping small businesses, keeping the government out of our lives, protecting the border, and ensuring that we stand up to our enemies, Nikki will always work to uplift all Americans.
Inflation, economic disparity, violent crime, and racism were the concerns that many Asian American voters agreed upon, according to a Pew poll. According to Ramakrishnan, the way politicians spoke about immigration and race had an impact on whether or not Asians would vote for them.
Ramaswamy in particular made news in recent weeks after pledging to “gut” the H-1B visa program for skilled workers.
He told Politico, “Real meritocratic admission needs to replace the lottery method. “Family members who immigrate here are not the skilled immigrants who contribute to this country on the basis of merit,”
According to Ramakrishnan and Nikore, it’s something that won’t play well with Asian American voters, particularly Indian American voters.
Everyone knows someone who came here because of the H-1B program, he continued, even if their family did not. They live next door to you. Therefore, I don’t believe that policy will be beneficial to him among the AAPI population.
An inquiry for comment was not answered by Ramaswamy’s team.
In the end, Ramakrishnan claimed he didn’t believe Ramaswamy was attempting to gain the support of Asian Americans.
He asserted: “In reality, I think he is trying to signal to Republican supporters that he’s not bound to any group by adopting a stand like that. “Including the immigrant community or the immigrant Indian community.”