Turnout of the AAPI Vote Critical to 2020 Elections and Beyond

WASHINGTON – Today, AAPI Victory Fund announced that the organization is ramping up its efforts in Texas. As our nation inches closer to the 2020 elections, Texas is key to delivering victory for the Democrats to both chambers of Congress and the presidency. Additionally, winning the state legislature will have a lasting impact on communities and the 2020 redistricting. The AAPI communities are a key vote in Texas. AAPI Victory Fund will create and invest in a permanent broad-based and state-wide AAPI engagement organization that will have impact for years to come.

“AAPI Victory Fund’s strategy for Texas relies on increasing turnout from AAPIs, which most campaigns typically do not communicate to,” said Varun Nikore, president of AAPI Victory Fund. “We have a proven record of effectively engaging our community members in culturally specific and ethnically sensitive ways. This has led to our success in battleground states like North Carolina, Virginia and Nevada in the last four election cycles since 2016. We hope to see similar results this year as we focus on Texas.”

In May, AAPI Victory Fund, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, Forward Majority Action and Lake Research Partners released new research on swing AAPI voters in Texas. From 2012 to 2018, the number of eligible AAPI voters in Texas grew by nearly 50% and AAPIs now make up over 5% of the state’s electorate. Almost across the board, AAPI participants in Texas held unfavorable views of Donald Trump.

Earlier this year, AAPI Victory Fund endorsed three congressional races in Texas. All three candidates were later endorsed by President Barack Obama in his first slate in earlier this month.

• Sima Ladjevardian (TX-02)
• Sri Preston Kulkarni (TX-22)
• Gina Ortiz Jones (TX-23)

The AAPI Victory Fund announced today its support for two additional Texas congressional candidates:

• Lulu Seikaly (TX-03)
• Donna Imam (TX-31)

Along with increased investment in Texas, AAPI Victory Fund announced the formation of the AAPI Texas Victory Committee, co-chaired by Sonal Shah, former Obama White House Official and AAPI Victory Fund National Leadership Council member and David H. Lee, President of Texas Signal and AAPI Victory Fund Board member. 

“Texas is changing rapidly,” said Sonal Shah, National Leadership Council member of the AAPI Victory Fund. “This is, in part, due to the incredible growth of the AAPI population in the state. Texas is expected to gain three additional seats in the House of Representatives due to reapportionment and we must do our due diligence to ensure that the values that are representative of our community are protected.”

“As a Texan, I am thrilled to be part of the AAPI Victory Fund’s unprecedented initiative that will concentrate resources in Texas Congressional and state legislative races in districts with high AAPI populations,” said David H. Lee, board member of the AAPI Victory Fund. “AAPIs have the power to help flip the Texas state house so progressives can gain footing in the crucial and decade-defining 2020 redistricting effort. We are building community and political power for AAPIs through data collection and grassroots engagement that will create infrastructure in Texas for the long-term.”