Harris leads Trump by 38 points among Asian American voters: Survey

Washington: Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is leading by 38 points among Asian American voters against her Republican challenger Donald Trump, according to the results of a poll.

The poll was conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, and its results were released on Tuesday. This is the first survey since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July and Vice President Harris became the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.

According to the poll, Harris, 59, leads 78-year-old Trump by 38 percentage points among Asian American voters, expanding Biden’s 15-point lead by 23 percentage points since spring.

As many as 66 per cent of Asian American voters plan on voting for Harris, compared to 28 per cent who say they back former president Trump. Those who say they will support another candidate or are undecided account for six per cent.

In the 2024 Asian American Voter Survey (AAVS), conducted in April-May, 46 per cent of Asian American voters backed Biden, and 31 per cent supported Trump, while 23 per cent said they planned to vote for someone else or were undecided.

In the 2020 AAVS, which was conducted in July-September that year, 54 per cent said they planned to vote for Biden, 30 per cent for Trump, and 16 per cent for someone else or were undecided.

Further, Harris’ favourability among Asian American voters has increased by 18 points.

According to the survey, 62 per cent of Asian American voters say they have a favourable opinion of Harris, compared to 35 per cent who have an unfavourable opinion of her, up from the 2024 AAVS, in which 44 per cent had a favourable view of her while 42 per cent unfavourable.

On the other hand, 28 per cent of Asian American voters think favourably about Trump, compared to 70 per cent who have an unfavourable opinion of him. In the 2024 AAVS, 34 per cent had a favourable view of him and 62 per cent unfavourable.

The polls revealed that Harris' running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, was far more popular as a vice presidential candidate than the Republican nominee for vice president, JD Vance.

Fifty-six per cent of Asian American voters have a favourable opinion of Walz, compared to 18 per cent who did not, and 26 per cent did not know enough to have an opinion.

It said that 21 per cent of Asian American voters thought favourably of Vance, compared to 58 per cent who did not and 22 per cent did not know enough to have an opinion.

Thirty-eight per cent of Asian American voters also said Harris’ identity as a woman is “extremely” or “very” important to them, compared to 27 per cent who say the same about her identity as an Asian Indian or South Asian.

The polls also showed Asian American voters are far more likely to say they’ve been contacted by the Democratic Party than the Republican Party.

The presidential elections will be held in the US on November 5.