If you’re not aware, there is a closely watched special Congressional election coming this Tuesday, June 20th in Georgia – in a suburb of Atlanta (Georgia’s 6th Congressional District between Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff), and Asian Americans could be the difference in having a Democrat win over a traditionally Republican district:
“Based on the district’s demographic makeup, Asian-American residents like Kolichala could play a major role in determining the final winner. While there are approximately 420,000 Asian Americans living in Georgia — roughly 4.2 percent of the state’s total population, according to the U.S. Census bureau — Asian Americans make up more than 10 percent of the 6th District.
Certain subsections of the district are also known for their high concentration of Asian Americans, including Johns Creek, where approximately a quarter of the city’s population identifies as Asian.
“Generally what attracts a lot of first generation Asian Americans to the area are the good school districts,” Sam Park, a Georgia state legislator and current Asian outreach director for Ossoff’s campaign, told NBC News. The son of Korean immigrants, Park grew up in the 6th District.”
This kind of reminds me of back in 2008 when Asian Americans were making a possible difference in Virginia – and they did when Obama won the state. In a special election, voter turnout tends to be much lower than presidential elections conducted in November. So it will be very interesting to see, if there is exit polling data, how Asian Americans voted. Nationally, Asian Americans are usually independent or lean Democratic, but that is because most Asian Americans live in California or New York. I imagine that in Georgia, Asian Americans tend to be more on the Independent or Republican leaning side.
