The AAPI Victory Fund – the only Super PAC of its kind – is focused on mobilizing Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) voters during the upcoming campaign cycle. With the margin of victory less than 5 percent in key battleground states and AAPI voters exceeding that number, we have an opportunity to bring the AAPI community into a position of influence for the 2016 Presidential candidates.

BACKGROUND

As a diverse and dynamic population, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are at the forefront of the shaping of a new America. With a population of more than 18 million and representing 6 percent of the country’s population, we are the fastest-growing minority groups in the United States. Our population encompasses dozens of communities with roots from countries in East, South, and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have vast ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity. (The U.S. Census Bureau reports national data on 23 distinct Asian American groups and 19 distinct Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander groups.) Some of our families came to the United States several generations ago, while others among us are part of newer waves of immigration that are contributing to the influential growth of our community. With an understanding of the tremendous diversity within our community, the Victory Fund will leverage our vast community’s potential for impact.

OUR RATIONALE & STRATEGY

Increasing voter registration and turnout rates is key to achieving AAPI impact as an election game-changer. Voter registration and turnout are significantly lower among AAPIs than national averages, and it is time for that to change. For example, voter registration among AAPIs is more than 10 percent below the national average, and up to 12 percent below the non-AAPI rates in targeted states. More than one-third of registered AAPI voters don’t turn out at the ballot box. The Victory Fund’s work will aim to close these gaps.

The Victory Fund will target battleground states, where AAPIs eligible to vote in 2016 exceed the presidential vote margin in 2012. In each of our targeted communities, we will build databases of AAPI voters, small donors, volunteers, and leaders. We will focus on registration, persuasion, and turnout. Our ultimate goal in these states is to increase unregistered AAPI voters (by 8 percent); AAPI voter turnout (by 5 percent); and Democratic performance of AAPI voters (by 3.5 percent).

We will mobilize a broad population – from millennials, to young professionals, to baby boomers, to seniors – to support a common agenda. We aim to demonstrate the AAPI force not just in numbers, but also in its leverage on the issues that impact and matter to us.

IT'S OUR TIME

As a PAC built around the experiences, knowledge, and leadership of the AAPI community, we are taking control of our own opportunity to make an impact in this election cycle and beyond. We are the strongest voices for ourselves. The Victory Fund is leading the way for the AAPI community to power and sustain its way to the political forefront.