Asian Pacific Americans actively participated in the Barack Obama nationwide campaign effort Vote For Change on May 10. Obama volunteers registered voters as part of the launch of the campaign’s first general election event. Vote For Change is consistent with Sen. Obama’s community organizing background in including more people in the political process.
The team leading the organizing efforts in San Francisco included Linda Leu, Anhoni Patel and Angelica Jongco. In San Francisco alone, 124 volunteers turned out and registered 273 voters throughout the city. Volunteers included many young AAPIs, including high school students Marc Katigbak and Paula Jane Abad and college freshman Brandon Yee, who used his bilingual skills to register voters with Michael Lee.
In New York City, Hrishi Karthekiyen, Elizabeth Lynche and Rocky Chin coordinated outreach by Asian American volunteers in heavily Asian American neighborhoods in Queens.
This weekend, Angelica Jongco will register voters at the Asian Heritage Street Celebration on May 17 in San Francisco’s Japantown. E-mail angelicaforobama@gmail.com to help.
Obama supporters will also be among the more than 2,500 AAPIs expected to attend the very first APIAVote Presidential Town Hall on May 17 at the University of California, Irvine. E-mail go@apaforobama.com to attend.
- Angelica Jongco and Michael Lee
“Keep strong; it’s not over until the lady in the pantsuit says it is,” a Hillary fan wrote to Sen. Clinton over Mother’s Day weekend. Indeed, West Virginia gave Hillary a win on Tuesday, 67 percent to 26 percent.
With unflagging spirit, either Bill or Hillary will be addressing the crowds at the APIAVote Presidential Town Hall at UC Irvine on May 17. Organizer Vida Benavides reported last Friday that the other campaigns had yet to confirm the candidate or a principal representative.
Hillary surrogates John Chiang, California state controller, and Otto Lee, Sunnyvale councilman and former mayor, will also make special guest appearances at the APIAVote event.
AAPIs for Hillary members have been making calls to Oregon, a vote-by-mail state with a May 20 primary deadline. Henry Manayan reports that six from his volunteer group made a caravan up to Oregon to canvass the voters. Vivian Tecson joined as a seventh and says she felt a lot of positive Hillary energy from Oregonians in the Medford area.
Loreto Dimaandal reports that she is currently meeting with supporters in New York and Connecticut. The support for Hillary is hot even in the drizzly East Coast spring weather.
- Julie D. Soo
The McCain campaign recently hosted an APA Heritage Month reception at the national headquarters in Virginia, with over 30 APA leaders from across the country. Campaign Manager Rick Davis and other top staff addressed the group. Several presidential appointees were also in attendance.
In Guam, the largest Republican fundraiser in the island’s history was held for John McCain last week.
Sen. McCain has been actively campaigning throughout the country and recently has been addressing global climate change. McCain has proposed a cap-and-trade system that would set limits on greenhouse gas emissions, while encouraging the development of low-cost compliance options. This is a market-based system to curb greenhouse gas emissions, mobilize innovative technologies, and strengthen the economy while lowering our dependence on foreign oil.
In celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month, Sen. McCain will be in Stockton, California, with community supporters this Thursday, May 22. The campaign is recruiting APAs to greet Senator McCain in Stockton, and then attend a reception at a nearby restaurant. California Assemblymen Alan Nakanishi and Van Tran are hosting the event. Contact Joseph Yeh josephyeh@gmail.com or Kishan Putta at the campaign kputta@mccain08hq.com (703-650-5668) for more details.
- Jennifer Kim and Rudy Pamintuan