“I don’t know if I really had a single issue pushing me to vote — I think it was just the general climate after Trump and having really intense feelings after that,” Lee said.
This year, however, things look different. Trump — a galvanizing force for many — is no longer on the ballot. And while the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings represented a pivotal moment for many Asian Americans, concerns about gun violence now compete with worries about inflation.
While Democrats have historical advantages in understanding and appealing to Asian American communities, party officials have been inconsistent in their outreach. Meanwhile, Republicans — whose positions on immigration have been a hindrance in the past — are using the economy as an opportunity to make inroads in conservative areas that have previously gained little attention.
In all of this, a slew of down-ballot races this…
