AAPI Victory Fund Endorses Hillary Clinton

Ahead of California Primary, AAPI voters play a pivotal role California State Elected Officials John Chiang and David Chiu Join EndorsementLOS ANGELES–The AAPI Victory Fund today endorsed Secretary Hillary Clinton for President of the United States and announced its rejection of the xenophobia and anti-Muslim rhetoric embraced by the presumptive Republican nominee. This is the Victory Fund's first endorsement and it will ensure that Asian Americans and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters play a pivotal role in securing Secretary Clinton's victory in the California presidential primary."Asian Americans' growing influence and political power is poised to play a major role in this crucial election. Secretary Clinton has meaningfully engaged with our community. She has strongly advocated for issues of importance to AAPI families, ranging from environmental justice to gun control," said Dilawar Syed, co-founder and vice chair of the AAPI Victory Fund. "We repudiate the racial, ethnic and religious prejudices espoused by the presumptive Republican nominee. By mobilizing the AAPI electorate across the state on June 7th, we will ensure Secretary's Clinton victory in California."Nearly 75 percent of AAPIs support environmental initiatives, including policies that bolster emissions limits. Secretary Clinton believes in climate change and environmental justice and supports clean energy and combating air pollution.Almost 80 percent of AAPIs support stricter gun control policies. From her time as First Lady to U.S. Senator, Secretary Clinton supported and voted for legislation for federal background checks and assault weapons bans.During the 2016 election cycle, the Victory Fund is focused on reaching and mobilizing the growing population of AAPI voters across the nation. With a margin of victory in 2012 of less than 5 percent in key battleground states, there is an opportunity to create a movement with the AAPI community to influence the upcoming election."The AAPI vote is critical in California, and increasingly in these tight margin battleground states," said John Chiang, California State Treasurer and gubernatorial candidate. "With our growing numbers, our political influence correspondingly increases, but it is up to our community to show the political establishment that we can deliver at the ballot box. With the unprecedented divisive, anti-Asian, anti-Mexican and anti-Muslim rhetoric from the candidates this year, I am confident that we will increase our turnout like never before."Ninety percent of AAPIs support funding for higher education that will reduce student loan debt. Secretary Clinton supports equal education opportunities for Americans of all backgrounds to achieve their fullest potential.More than 70 percent of the AAPI community supports an increase in the federal minimum wage. Secretary Clinton supports both an increase to the federal minimum wage and equal pay legislation to close the gender wage gap."In California, we have seen both the real needs and growing political power of our AAPI communities," said David Chiu, California State Assemblymember and policy chair of the California API Legislative Caucus. "Alongside the AAPI Victory Fund's efforts across the country, we need to ensure our diverse communities will speak with a strong voice in the 2016 elections. There is too much at stake."More than half of AAPIs support the Affordable Care Act and increasing health care access. Secretary Clinton helped create the Children's Health Insurance Program as First Lady and has been an advocate for expanding access to care throughout her entire career.Seventy-eight percent of the AAPI community supports a woman's right to make her own health care decision. Secretary Clinton has pledged to fight against attempts to defund Planned Parenthood and legislative actions that would scale back women's rights under the Affordable Care Act. As a U.S. Senator, she championed access to emergency contraception and voted in favor of strengthening reproductive rights."Secretary Clinton's campaign is the first to include an AAPI outreach director to specifically target our community, and she has also shown her support for the AAPI community by both hosting and attending events in Washington and Los Angeles," said Tung Nguyen, co-founder of the AAPI Victory Fund. "This unprecedented level of outreach will continue to resonate with the AAPI community, especially on shared policies and priorities."More than half of AAPIs support comprehensive immigration reform and also indicate that visa backlogs harmfully impact their families. Secretary Clinton is a long-time advocate of comprehensive immigration reform and is strong supporter of deferred action programs and naturalization."Presidential candidates must do more than pay lip service to get the support of the AAPI community," said Shekar Narasimhan, AAPI Victory Fund Chairman. "And when Secretary Clinton is elected as our next president, the Victory Fund will be here to ensure that she follows through on her words."The AAPI Victory Fund launched in January 2016 as the first Super PAC of its kind.

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