Biden launches new ad targeting Asian American and Pacific Islanders in battleground states
The Biden campaign has released a new ad targeting Asian American and Pacific Islander voters in battleground states, aimed at highlighting his investments in small businesses.
It follows married couple and small-business owners Jenny Poon and Odeen Domingo. The pair discuss the mounting expenses that come with raising a family and running a small business. Despite their financial concerns, the couple said they were able to thrive and add a second location, hire new people and watch their family’s costs go down.
“Things have gotten better and better,” Domingo said.
Asian Americans owned 612,194 businesses in 2020, the highest across all minority groups, according to the census. The number of Asian-owned businesses in the accommodation and food services sector were particularly large, significantly outnumbering ownership from other groups.
The ad, which follows a campaign ad from November highlighting Poon’s Vietnamese heritage and refugee family’s journey, is part of the Biden campaign’s $30 million ad buy.
The new spot, along with others in the campaign’s spring ad flight, will run across YouTube and smart TV, targeting Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander voters across the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The campaign will also place digital video and static ads in ethnic media, including national outlets such as the Asian Journal, World Journal, Nguoi Viet and Korea Daily, as well as local outlets such as Wisconsin’s Hmong Times and North Carolina’s Saathee Magazine.
Asian Americans, the fastest growing electorate, are expected to make up more than 6% of the eligible voters in November. And they are becoming a significant presence in swing states like Nevada, where they make up 11% of the population.
The economy, particularly inflation, has become a priority issue for the bloc, with 31% naming it as a top concern, according to an AAPI Data/AP-NORC Poll. A separate poll from AAPI Data/AP-NORC also showed that roughly two-thirds of AAPI adults have seen their household expenses increase in the past year. And just under half said their savings have decreased.
Many are skeptical of the government’s ability to address the public’s concerns, however, with 69% of AAPI people reporting they have “little or no confidence” that the federal government can make inroads on problems facing the U.S. in 2024, the poll said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
