A week out from Georgia’s Dec. 6 Senate runoff, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and his Republican opponent Herschel Walker are targeting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters after turnout among Asian Americans nearly doubled in Georgia from 2016 to 2020.
Warnock’s campaign is releasing digital ads in Vietnamese, Mandarin and Korean in an effort to gain the support of Asian American voters.
According to The Hill, the advertisements feature voters explaining why they are voting for Warnock over Walker. The videos, which range from 18 seconds long to 24 seconds long, will be released throughout the state on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
“I’m proud to call Georgia home, but I’d be embarrassed to call Herschel Walker my senator,” the voters say in the ads. “So I’m doing my part and voting for Reverend Warnock in the runoff on Dec. 6. I hope you’ll join me.”
Asian American voters surged in Georgia between 2016 and 2020, with the demographic growing by 84 percent, or 61,000 votes, according to AAPIData.com. A recent analysis of Asian American voters found that they “typically lean democratic.”
“AAPI Georgians play a critical role in our communities and in our elections,” Meredith Brasher, Warnock’s campaign spokesperson, told The Hill. “That’s why Reverend Warnock has made it a priority to deliver for Georgia’s AAPI community by lowering health care costs, protecting voting rights, and supporting AAPI-owned small businesses.”
“Our campaign is proud of our unprecedented investments to mobilize the AAPI vote and encourage every voter to make their voices heard on or before December 6th,” she added.
Republicans have also been on the ground working to gain favor with Georgia’s Asian American communities. In September, Walker rallied with members of the Indian American community along with former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley.
Campaign ads and fundraising efforts were ramped up when neither candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote earlier this month. With Democrats retaining 50 Senate seats, the Georgia race will determine if the party can increase their slight majority with Vice President Kamala Harris’s tie-breaking vote.
