With just weeks to go before the Presidential election November 5, two surveys released recently revealed that a majority of Latino and AAPI registered voters will cast their ballots for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris’ lead is razor-thin. In a national poll of voters of all backgrounds, released September 25 by 270toWin, the Vice President tops Republican Presidential contender Donald Trump by 2.9 percent. Trump, however, holds a slim lead in four of the seven key battleground states.
More than 36 million Latinos are eligible to vote this fall. They are now the nation’s second-largest group of eligible voters, and key to election outcomes in battleground states. A survey released by the Pew Research Center September. 24 indicates 57 percent of Latinos are voting for or leaning towards Harris. Thirty-nine percent will vote or are leaning towards. This is markedly different from a poll taken in July when President Joe Biden was the likely Democratic nominee. Equal shares of Latino voters said they would vote for Biden as for Trump (36 percent each) while 24 percent favored Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has since dropped out of the race.
Critical Issues
In a two-way match-up, 51 percent of Latino voters said in July that they would support Biden, while 46 percent said they would back Trump – a much narrower margin.
For Trump’s Latino supporters, the economy, violent crime, and immigration were three of the most-cited issues important to their vote. Latino Harris supporters said the economy, health care, and gun policy are their top three issues. Notably, only 51 percent cited immigration as a top concern. 62 percent of Latino voters believe Harris can be effective on abortion policy. Harris edged out Trump just slightly on foreign policy and economic policy among Latino voters.
The AAPI vote
APIAVote also released a survey September. 24, updating an earlier poll released in May when Biden was still the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Sixty-six percent of Asian American voters plan on voting for Harris, while 28 percent say they back Trump. Six percent say they are undecided or will vote for another candidate. Earlier this year, 46 percent of Asian American voters backed Biden and 31 percent supported Trump, while 23 percent said they planned to vote for someone else or were undecided.
More than 15 million AANHPIs are eligible to vote, noted APIAVote President Christine Chen at a September 6 Ethnic Media Services news briefing. 1.75 million live in key battleground states and could constitute the margin of victory. Seventy-seven percent of AAPI voters surveyed said they are “absolutely certain” they will vote in this election. One in four AAPIs will vote for the first time. Interestingly, more foreign-born voters — 80 percent — say they are absolutely certain they will vote, compared to 72 percent of those born in the US.
Election fears
Sixty-two percent of Asian American voters say they have a favorable opinion of Kamala Harris, while 56 percent also support her vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Harris has received a bump up from last spring, when just 44 percent of AAPI voters had a favorable view of her.
Twenty-eight percent of AAPI voters have a favorable opinion of Donald Trump. Twenty-one percent hold a favorable view of his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance.
AAPIs have a lot of fear about the 2024 election. Fifty percent are concerned about false information surrounding the candidates. Forty-seven percent fear post-election violence, while 41 percent predict there will be legal challenges. Also of concern was violence at the polling site.
