DIRECT INVOLVEMENT IN ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL ELECTIONS IN U.S. HISTORY
It is deeply disturbing that for the third time, we must again battle the anti-democratic, authoritarian Trump and his followers for the soul of our nation. We ask again for your support as we launch our largest-ever effort to allocate the resources critical to the powerful representation of AANHPIs in the pro-democracy movement.
Our 2024 plan has the following goals:
- Support AANHPI candidates, especially in federal races;
- Support President Biden for re-election;
- Retain Democratic control of the U.S. Senate through investments in 11 of the 13 battleground races, especially Rep. Andy Kim for the New Jersey Senate seat;
- Regain Democratic control of the U.S. House through investments in nine toss-up districts and also support Assemblymember Evan Low’s campaign for the U.S. House;
- Activate AANHPI voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin through a collaboration with a new project, to be announced in the coming weeks;
- Launch direct AANHPI voter engagement through AANHPI-targeted communications and in-language ethnic media, and digital advertising; and
- Support a limited number of state and local races in California, Michigan, and possibly a few other states for early pipeline candidate development to nurture AANHPI political leaders of tomorrow.
RETAIN DEMOCRATIC CONTROL OF THE U.S. SENATE
The Senate has 51 Democrats (including three independents) and 49 Republicans. There are 34 seats up in 2024, of which 23 are held by Democrats or Independents. Republicans only need to gain two seats or gain one seat and win the White House to regain control of the chamber. CAPA21 will support Rep. Andy Kim’s challenge to Sen. Bob Menendez, Ruben Gallego’s challenge to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the eventual Democratic challenger to Sen. Ted Cruz (TX), and the Democratic/independent incumbents in Maine, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin. There is only a one-seat margin of error due to Sen. Joe Manchin’s retirement and our loss of that seat to a likely Republican. Finally, although these are safe seats, we will support the eventual Democratic nominee for the California Senate race (if a Republican makes the top two) and also Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawai‘i.
REGAIN DEMOCRATIC CONTROL OF THE U.S. HOUSE
The Current House is 213 (D) – 219 (R) – 3 vacant. Consensus forecast is 204 (D) – 207 (R) – 24 toss-up. CAPA21 will support an initial slate of candidates focused in the Western U.S., including Peltola (AK), Lee (NV), and the Dem challengers to California GOP House members Duarte, (CA-13), Valadao (CA-22), Garcia (CA-27), Calvert (CA-41), and Steel (CA-45). We will also support the eventual Dem nominee for the CA-47 seat being vacated by Rep. Katie Porter.
Although California District 16 is a safe Democratic seat, Evan Low’s candidacy represents a critical contest for AANHPIs. Evan is running against former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, and at least a dozen other candidates to replace Rep. Anna Eshoo, who is retiring. AANHPI’s are 22% of likely voters in the district.
ACTIVATE AANHPI VOTERS IN SWING STATES
CAPA21 – through a planned partnership with a new project called Asian Americans for Democracy – will activate AANHPI voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. We plan to fund organizations conducting voter education and developing GOTV efforts to defeat Trump and re-elect President Biden along with progressive Asian Pacific Americans to federal, state, and local office. We plan to overcome gaps in the Biden campaign and Democratic Party activities that neglect Asian language outreach and digital engagement that can persuade APA voters.
LAUNCH DIRECT AANHPI POLITICAL COMMUNICATIONS
Also through the Asian Americans for Democracy project, CAPA21 will support anti-Trump message development and distribution across digital platforms, radio, print, and in-language cable TV. This effort is needed because the Democratic Party has not allocated sufficient resources to address APA voters, many of whom are secondary English speakers. We also know that the Republican Party is stepping up its Asian community outreach work and has established offices in Houston and Las Vegas Chinatowns. Both the GOP apparatus, independent expenditure groups, and the Trump campaign have historically utilized disinformation campaigns to dissuade APA voters from supporting Democratic candidates. By funding content developers and making digital ads available to the 501(c)(4) groups in battleground states, we plan to expose the dangerous xenophobia Trump promotes via his anti-China rhetoric and anti-immigration policies.
REQUESTING YOUR SUPPORT
Our first round of support will require $57,500 for Senate candidates and $45,000 for House candidates. The initial fundraising goal for swing state voter engagement and AANHPI direct outreach and advertising is $2.5 million.
Can you support our efforts with a donation of whatever amount you can afford? Donate online. We know that every contribution to us is a sacrifice of something else and we don’t take that for granted. Your contribution is meaningful, no matter what amount it is.
Thank you so much for your support!
CAPA21 