‘A community that is a force’: Vice President Kamala Harris courts Asian American and Pacific Islander voters in Philadelphia

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Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) Presidential Town Hall in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon, telling voters that she and President Joe Biden were counting on their support in “the most existential, consequential and important election of our lifetime.”

“President Biden and I know this is a community that is a force and must always be recognized, and must always be recognized for the leadership that has provided for so much progress throughout the history of our country,” Harris said.

Harris emphasized the administration’s commitment to strengthening and protecting the Affordable Care Act and abortion rights. She also highlighted the nearly $160 million in federal investment to cap the Vine Street Expressway — the “Chinatown Stitch” —  to support and transform communities who have experienced “long standing inequities.”

“Fundamentally, this election will come down to this,” she told the approximately 1,200 attendees “President Biden and I fight for the American people. Donald Trump does not.”

Harris referenced ongoing concerns about Biden’s health, and doubled down on her support for his candidacy.

“The past few days have been a reminder that running for president of the United States is never easy, nor should it be,” she said. “But one thing we know about our President Joe Biden, he is a fighter. And he is the first to say, when you get knocked down, you get right back up.”

During Harris’ speech, several people in the audience shouted, “Free, free Palestine,” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” They were escorted out of the hall. Other attendees chanted, “Four more years” in response. Police said no arrests were made.

“We respect everyone’s right to voice their concerns,” Harris said in response to the protesters. “I am speaking right now, however, and I’m going to continue with the topic at hand.”

Harris is the first Asian American vice president in U.S. history. She has been campaigning to connect with and reach AAPI voters throughout this election cycle. The most recent Asian American Voter Survey finds 46% of Asian American voters will vote for President Joe Biden, down from 54% in 2020, and 31% say they will vote for former President Donald Trump.

According to the survey, the economy, jobs, inflation, health care and education are among the most important issues for AAPI voters.

A recent report published by APIAVote found almost 60% of Asian American citizens of voting age cast a ballot in the 2020 election. The same survey found that 42% of eligible Asian Americans voters say they have not yet been contacted by either the Democratic or Republican parties in this election cycle.

Mina Yang, 30, came to the town hall from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where she is working with an organization called Power Up to register and inform Hmong American voters.

Yang said it’s important to distinguish the many diverse communities within the Asian American and Pacific Islanders diaspora, such as Hmong Americans and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders.

“There’s been many groups that have been left behind. And I think that they’ve been vocal, but it’s just that no one’s really been listening,” she said. “And I think that it really does take the community to come together to do the work.”

Yang said that work is already happening.

“A lot of us Asian Americans, young people, we are wanting to get involved. And I think that we see how the anti-Asian hate has been affecting us,” she said.

Philadelphia City Councilmember Nina Ahmad addressed the gathering ahead of Harris’ appearance, introducing a video about the Save Chinatown Coalition, the new Ginger Arts Center and their work to preserve Philadelphia’s Chinatown and fight against the 76ers’ arena proposal. 

Ahmad told WHYY News she is “100%” confident President Joe Biden can win in November. She said the focus on the president’s verbal stumbles is misplaced, especially when the administration’s work on issues such as maternal mortality and climate adaptation has provided significant federal funding at the local level. 

“Both the Asian community and the Black community have a lot more respect for age and the wisdom that comes with age,” Ahmad said. “A multi-generational perspective is important.”

Ahmad, the first South Asian American elected to Philadelphia City Council, said the Biden-Harris administration has done important work to engage and promote AAPI leaders and support Asian American communities. 

“Being called Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander, that is a big umbrella term, which is a political term, but you have to disaggregate the data within that to understand the needs of all the different communities that make this up,” Ahmad said. “Someone like Kamala Harris understands that, and it’s reflected in who’s in the administration.”

In Pennsylvania, a key swing state, more than 330,000 voters are Asian American. Philadelphia and Montgomery counties have the highest populations of Asian American voters of any county in the commonwealth. Allegheny, Delaware and Chester counties follow close behind. 

Philadelphia has been a focus of both campaigns. Biden visited a church in Northwest Philadelphia last weekend. Trump held a rally at the Liacouras Center on Temple University’s campus in North Philly in June. 

The Trump campaign was invited to send a representative to Saturday’s event but they did not attend.