President Joe Biden's reelection campaign has officially begun its outreach to Asian American voters, with Vice President Kamala Harris taking a prominent role in the effort. The campaign, known as AANHPIs for Biden-Harris, is targeting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.
The initiative kicked off with an event in Las Vegas featuring former 'Top Chef' host Padma Lakshmi. Vice President Harris, the first person of South Asian descent to hold the position, will be leading the campaign's efforts with events planned in Nevada and Pennsylvania this week.
Harris emphasized the importance of Asian American and NHPI voices being heard in the political process, stating, 'Asian Americans must be in the rooms where the decisions are being made.'
The campaign's focus on Asian American voters follows similar efforts targeting Black and Latino voters. The coalition will be active in key battleground states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Georgia.
Nadia Belkin will lead the campaign's national AANHPI engagement, with Andrew Peng serving as the national spokesperson. The campaign aims to overcome language barriers by providing resources in multiple languages, including Chinese, Tagalog, Hindi, Hmong, Vietnamese, Urdu, and Korean.
Experts in Asian American politics have long highlighted the importance of language accessibility in engaging with voters. The Biden campaign's comprehensive approach seeks to ensure that Asian American voices are represented at all levels of government and in decision-making processes.