Because of the incredible support of our donors, CAPA21 is expected to  invest more than $500,000 in candidates and organizations working to #TakeItBack2020.

We have already contributed most of our funds raised and  we’re now focusing on  sharing updates on how your donations are helping our endorsed candidates win their races and  aiding organizations turn out AAPI and Democratic voters. Below are highlights of key races with CAPA21-supported candidates, most of whom received the maximum allowable donation from us.

Thank you for your support!

~ Dale

Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris – CAPA21 donated a total of $47,500 to the Biden campaign and to the Biden Victory Fund. Vice President Biden’s strong performance from last night’s final Presidential Debate and Senator Harris’s terrific debate against Mike Pence mark the last acts of the 2020 election cycle. With only 11 days left until Election Day, time is running out to make sure that we are turning out AAPI voters in key battleground states. Click here to learn more about how you can help reach AAPI voters in key battleground states!

>Sara Gideon (D) against Sen. Susan Collins (R) in Maine – A new poll released last week gives Sara Gideon, the South Asian Speaker of the Maine State House, a 7% lead over Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins. President Obama released an ad supporting Gideon. The candidates had their fourth debate this week.

Jaime Harrison (D) against Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) in South Carolina – A  new poll reported on Oct. 22 shows Harrison with a slight lead. An Oct. 16 poll had Harrison up by two points, but another poll showed Graham up by six. Harrison raised $57 million to Graham’s $28 million in Q3. Harrison performed well in his debates against Graham and continues to outraise the incumbent.

Theresa Greenfield (D) against Sen. Joni Ernst (R) in Iowa – Greenfield has led Ernst in every poll for the past month. Greenfield made national news last week for nailing her debate against Ernst when the Senator didn’t know the price of soybeans. President Obama endorsed Greenfield in August.

Jon Ossoff (D) against Sen. David Perdue (R) in Georgia – At a rally, Perdue mocked Kamala Harris’s name in a blatant racist othering, forgetting that George Allen of Virginia lost his Senate seat after similar racist behavior. Two million dollars in donations flowed into Ossoff’s campaign after the incident. Polls are not showing a clear trend in this race.

Mark Kelly (D) against Sen. Martha McSally (R) in Arizona – Kelly leads McSally by 6-10 points in the latest polls, after their only debate earlier this month. McSally’s performance was widely panned and did little to improve her standing in the polls. It’s being reported this week that McSally mistakenly used a photo of Kelly’s twin brother in new campaign ads.

Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) against Sen. Cory Gardner (R) in Colorado – Hickenlooper has been leading Gardner in all recent polls. Gardner distanced himself from Trump in a debate last week. In a sign of growing confidence, major Democratic groups are pulling their spending in the state.

Cal Cunningham (D) against Sen. Thom Tillis (R) in North Carolina – Despite a texting scandal, Cunningham still leads Tillis in polling. Tillis serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee and has pledged to vote for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, joining most other Senate Republicans in prioritizing a rushed confirmation over sorely needed pandemic relief legislation.

Gina Ortiz-Jones (D) against Tony Gonzales in Texas House 23 – Polls show a slight lead by Filipina American Ortiz-Jones in this race to replace outgoing Rep. Will Hurd. The candidates had their first debate last week. Republican ads attacked  Ortiz-Jones for supporting the transgender community – another in a line of homophobic attacks against Ortiz-Jones, who if elected, will be the first out LGBTQ person to represent Texas in Congress.

Marilyn Strickland (D) against Beth Doglio (D) in Washington House 10 – Korean/African American Strickland won the top-two primary election and is leading in endorsements from former Gov. Gary Locke, Rep. Judy Chu, the AAPI and Black congressional caucus PACs, and others. The candidates faced off in a recent forum. Strickland would be the first Korean American Democratic woman elected to Congress.

Other candidates supported by CAPA21 include:

• Sen. Gary Peters in Michigan (D)
• Sen. Tina Smith in Minnesota (D)
• Steve Bullock (D) for Senate in Montana
• Barbara Bollier (D) for Senate in Kansas\
• Amy McGrath (D) for Senate in Kentucky
• Raphael Warnock (D) for Senate in Georgia
• MJ Hegar (D) for Senate in Texas
• Senator Mazie Hirono (D) of Hawai’i – no election in 2020
• Rep. Andy Kim (NJ 03)
• Rep. Katie Porter (CA 45)
• Rep. Stephanie Murphy (FL 07)
• Rep. Gil Cisneros (CA 39)
• Rep. Harley Rouda (CA 48)
• Rep. Josh Harder (CA 10)
• Rep. Mike Levin (CA 49)
• Rep. TJ Cox (CA 21)
• Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA 07)
• Rep. Donna Shalala (FL 27)
• Rep. Grace Meng (NY 06)
• Rep. Susan Wild (PA 07)
• Rep. Tom O’ Halleran (AZ 01)
• Rep. Judy Chu – CA 27
• Ammar Campa-Najjar (CA 50)
• Audrey Denny (CA 01)
• Christie Smith (CA 25)
• Eugene Depasquale (PA 10)
• Hiral Tipirneni (AZ 06)

To CAPA21’s Donors – Thank You for Being Part of this Battle for the Soul of Our Nation!

Our thanks to the constant stream of new donors as well as the generosity of past donors. A number of donors asked not to be listed so this is a partial list. To all of you, much gratitude in standing with us to resist this despicable President!

See the latest list of CAPA21’s donors.

CAPA21, an Asian Pacific American political action committee, expresses our profound sadness and dismay at the murder of George Floyd. We extend our deepest condolences to the Floyd family and loved ones, who not only suffered the tragic loss of Mr. Floyd, but also endure the national maelstrom created by the heinous acts of four police officers. We condemn the murder of Mr. Floyd and the systemic oppression of African Americans that contributed to his killing.

We unconditionally believe that Black Lives Matter and stand in full solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters. There is much to be said and done about this tragedy that goes far beyond Mr. Floyd’s murder. We urge you to (a) read and share the statements below by our fellow progressive AAPI organizations and (b) take the concrete actions proposed below that will allow us to move beyond words to produce the constructive results that we so desperately need.

Read and share the powerful sentiments expressed by our allies in the progressive AAPI movement:

Coalition of Asian American Leaders (Minnesota): “We also cannot ignore the role of Officer Tou Thao who stood watch as George Floyd was dying. To see someone who looks like us behave as a bystander to Black death is devastating and painful. This is yet another reason that we must recognize our silence in the face of anti-Black racism, and commit to the ongoing work to dismantle anti-Blackness.” https://bit.ly/2XoKmDg

APIAVote: “We, and the broader Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community, must stand in proactive solidarity with black men, women, and children who continue to be oppressed and die by the forces and policies of systemic racism and discrimination. … We can no longer make any more excuses to stay silent against the injustices witnessed by the world in the last week.”

API Legal Outreach: “APILO calls for the broader API community, and truly all people of conscience, to stand in solidarity in confronting anti-black racism and demanding an end to police violence against African Americans along with immediate initiatives to bring George Floyd’s killers to justice. We urge our API community and our partners to demand that there be immediate action to ensure justice for George Floyd.” https://bit.ly/301TYWf

JACL: “We must also be enraged by the systems that have led to the deaths of so many Black men and women. We have a broken economic system that underpays people for honest work. Hiring decisions continue to be clouded by prejudice. Housing discrimination persists because of unequal access to capital and the legacy of redlining.  If we do not feel the same outrage for the daily discrimination that continues to exist, outrage over George Floyd’s murder is hollow and meaningless.” https://jacl.salsalabs.org/jaclstatementongeorgefloyd-a

APALA: “We are equally enraged and ashamed to learn that an Asian American police officer, Tou Thao, just stood watch as his co-worker treated George Floyd inhumanely. This hits home for us as we close out Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, a time when so many of us reflect on our Asian American identity and how it had emerged from the Black liberation movement.” https://www.apalanet.org/press-releases/apala-enraged-by-asian-american-officer-who-stood-as-a-bystander-during-george-floyds-violent-murder

National CAPACD: “We must commit to acknowledging, confronting, and dismantling complicity and racism within our own AAPI communities. Again and again, we must repeat: #BlackLivesMatter. That is the heritage we should leave behind for our children to celebrate.” https://www.nationalcapacd.org/tag/public-statements/

Do Something:  Concrete actions curated from posts by Gregory A. Cendana, Michelle Kim, APILO, and others

• Text “FLOYD” to 55156 in support of Color of Change’s demand that the officers who killed #GeorgeFloyd be charged with murder
• Sign Change.Org’s “Justice for George Floyd” petition
• Call Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and demand that he reform the Minneapolis Police Department to stop racial violence against the Black and African American community: (651) 201- 3400
• Call County Attorney Mike Freeman and demand that he charge the four involved officers: (612) 348 – 5550
• Donate to one or more of the bail funds (Here’s a list)
• Join an upcoming townhall or workshop with The People’s Collective for Justice and Liberation (https://peoplescollective4jl.org/)
• Participate in the week of action with the Movement for Black Lives from June 1-5, 2020 (Text ActionNOW to 90975 to receive updates)
• Read the “Unmasking Yellow Peril” zine by 18 Million Rising and the University of Connecticut (Link)
• Facilitate a training for your community or organization utilizing the Asian American Justice Tool Kit (https://www.asianamtoolkit.org/)
• Use the 20+ Allyship Actions for Asians to Show Up for the Black Community Right Now https://bit.ly/2Mj3wnL
• Use the 6 Ways Asian Americans Can Tackle Anti-Black Racism in Their Families – Everyday Feminism https://bit.ly/2MiIdm6

This is a time of great turmoil and unprecedented danger to American lives and to the very fabric of our democracy. “We need more than polite talk,” wrote Prof. Bill Ong Hing. “We need a sense of outrage and indignation. We need massive mobilization over the issue. We need a declaration of war. The declaration of war on the evils of hate and racism must be loud and constant.”

Glen S. Fukushima, Chair
Dale Minami, President
CAPA21