US: For Kamala Harris, it’s important to gain the support of women of color

US: New research shows that high proportions of Latina and Asian American women have not determined which candidate they will vote for in the 2024 contest.

In collaboration with 2040 Strategy Group, She the People conducted a poll revealing 11 percent of Latina women and 23 percent of Asian American women still unsure—groups Harris needs to guarantee success in November.

Traditionally, both groups break for the Democrats; 52 percent of Latina women and 46 percent of Asian women surveyed said they would vote for the vice president in November. Nonetheless, among Hispanic and Asian voters, Republican candidates have been more prevalent in previous presidential contests.

With 66 percent to his 28 percent, 59 percent of Hispanic voters preferred President Biden in 2020, compared to 38 percent who supported Trump, a smaller margin than in 2016 when Hillary Clinton defeated Trump among Hispanics by 38 points.

Furthermore clear from the movement toward Trump was that of Hispanic women voters. Pew reports that Trump’s merely 28 percent of female Hispanic votes against Hillary Clinton in 2016 compares to Clinton’s 67 percent. But Pew reported that Trump’s support among Latinas climbed to 37 percent in 2020, compared to 61 percent for President Joe Biden.

Based on NBC News Exit Polls, 63 percent of Asian American voters nationwide chose Biden, down from 65 percent in 2016; 31 percent preferred Trump, up from 27 percent in the last election.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) reports that among Asian women, 60 percent broke for Biden in 2020, compared to 39 percent for Trump—a notable departure from 2016, when 83 percent of Asian American women backed Clinton and 15 percent voted for Trump.

Latina and Asian women still vote mostly for the Democrats, with Harris now leading Trump nationwide by a slight 2.7-point edge, but Aimee Alison, creator of She the People, emphasizes the need of her securing the support of women of color even.

“Women of color will be the margin of success this election cycle, as they were in 2020, and this polling proves how true that is,” she said to Newsweek. “The poll data highlight how Harris should appeal to subgroups of women of color to maximize support and turnout.”

“The research indicates that women from Latina and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders should hear more from the candidate on her identity as Black and Asian woman in order to appeal to their feeling of solidarity with other women. Simply suggesting Kamala Harris may be America’s first woman president raises support,” she said.

She the People’s study found that among 10.5 percent of respondents, just stating she was Black and a woman raised Harris’s favor. Having a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points, the poll asked 1,478 female voters between September 5 and 10.

Since she entered the contest in July, the Harris campaign has not led with her identity as an Asian woman or as the prospective first female president; instead, it has focused on her economic views and expertise as a prosecutor.

By contrast, Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 campaign mostly focused on her gender, often drawing attention to the gaps she and her supporters were exposing in what she referred to as “the highest, hardest glass ceiling.”

Harris, whose mother was Indian and whose father is from Jamaica, told CNN in an August interview, “I am running because I believe that I am the best person to do this job at this moment, for all Americans, regardless of race and gender.”

She the People’s poll, however, points to Harris’s approach possibly sacrificing winning over undecided women of color. Using “control messaging” that presents Harris as a historic contender based on her Black woman identity, some 19 percent of uncertain women of color responded positively.

Nine percent of respondents saw her more unfavorably, while seventy-two percent said their perspective of her changed nothing.

“The campaign still has a real opportunity to use targeted messaging to connect with undecided voters by telling people who Harris is, and by clarifying the differences—not tacking to the center and blurring the lines—between her and Trump that are sure to affect their lives as women, people of color, and members of their communities,” said Tom Ogorzalek, cofounder and Head of Public Affairs, 2040 Strategy Group, in a press release.

“Women of color might choose Harris and help to close the numerical difference. They are force multipliers; as more of them advocate Harris as our future president, they will draw support from their local communities and bring her to the Oval Office,” Alison said.

She did, however, advise “women of color are like any other group—their vote needs to be earned.”

“Harris must strive for every single vote; she can do this by refocusing the campaign on the Democratic Party’s foundation—women of color—in the last days of the race. Her biggest chance of success comes from this.”

Carrie Baker, a Smith College, Massachusetts, women, gender and sexuality professor, disagreed, nevertheless.

“I don’t agree that Harris should concentrate on her identity as a Black woman in order to win over women of color,” she said Newsweek.

She said, “raising race or gender may win some voters, but it is divisive and would likely alienate many more, especially young white men.”

Men between the ages of 18 and 29 were more likely to be supportive of female candidates over Trump when presented with their policies, including support for high-paying jobs and affordable housing, rather than when they were presented with arguments centered on the significance of having the first female president, according a study by the Young Men’s Research Initiative conducted from July 9 to July 23. The research polled 1,092 guys in that age range.

For Asian American women, Harris has a 46/30 lead against Trump; for Latinas, she has a 52/30 advantage. This is a noteworthy advantage. The undecided votes will probably also go disproportionately toward Harris as well, Baker said.

The She the People study revealed that although framing her campaign more around her identity could win over undecided women of color, they also react favorably to targeted messaging around certain policy issues including protecting abortion rights, safeguarding book bans in schools, and opposing sending weapons to Israel while safeguarding the nation’s right to self-defense.

The poll shows that 29 percent of undecided women of color responded favorably to messaging stressing protecting abortion rights; 31 percent said an anti books ban message gave them a more positive view of Harris; and 27 percent said messaging opposing weapon sales to Israel gave them a more positive view of the vice presidential campaign.

Some 31 percent of uncertain women of color also reacted favorably to messages outlining Trump’s criminal past and Harris’s record as a “smart on crime” prosecutor who used the law to safeguard weaker individuals.

“I think she should focus on the issues these women care about (affordable housing, fair wage jobs, reproductive rights, etc.) and maintain her positive and energetic campaign,” Baker said.