Washington, D.C. — OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates celebrates a historic election year for Asian American and Pacific Islander candidates. AAPI leaders won races at every level of government, reflecting the growing power and influence of AAPI voters, one of the nation’s fastest-growing voting blocs.
OCA congratulates all newly elected leaders, including Zohran Mamdani, the first South Asian and Muslim elected Mayor of New York City; Kaohly Her, the first Hmong American elected Mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota; Ghazala Hashmi, the first Muslim and first South Asian American elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia; Swarnjit Singh, who made history as Connecticut’s first Sikh mayor after being elected Mayor of Norwich. OCA also celebrates Aftab Pureval, the first Asian American Mayor of Cincinnati, and Michelle Wu, the first Asian American and woman to become Mayor of Boston, both of whom secured their second terms this year. Another historic first includes May Nivar, the newly elected Delegate for Virginia’s District 57, who will be the first Chinese American delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates and an OCA member from OCA - Central Virginia.
Findings from the 2025 NYC Asian American Exit Poll further highlight the complexity and growing influence of AAPI voters:
- Asian American voters favored Mamdani for mayor, with 49.1% voting for him and 33.8% for Cuomo. An overwhelming 87.2% of South Asian voters cast their ballots for Mamdani, while 9.6% supported Cuomo.
- The economy and jobs were the most important issues (50.2%), followed by public safety (31.9%), democracy (28%), housing (25.2%), and healthcare (25.2%).
- Asian American youth participation surged, with 20% of voters ages 18-29 casting their first ballots.
- Over 58% of Asian American voters disapproved of President Trump’s approach to immigration, signaling broad rejection of policies rooted in exclusion and fear.
However, this election cycle also saw troubling instances of anti-Muslim rhetoric and targeted attacks against several candidates. OCA is deeply concerned by the resurgence of language reminiscent of the post-9/11 era and the persistence of anti-Muslim hate, profiling, and stereotyping targeting Arab, South Asian, and Muslim American communities.
Prejudice in any form has no place in our democracy, and OCA strongly condemns all efforts to divide or dehumanize people based on faith or ethnicity. We must confront false, fear-driven narratives and reject all attempts to scapegoat our neighbors.
These elections reaffirm that when candidates speak to the real needs of American families, voters turn out in record numbers. OCA calls on leaders to address the issues most impacting AAPI communities—including the cost of living, healthcare, childcare, and education. We urge elected officials to listen to their constituents and for Congress to take action now to fund healthcare and SNAP benefits.
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