In the ongoing assessment of the whos and whats and whys and hows of Election Day, it looks like Asian American voters strongly favored Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a wide margin.
Preliminary exit poll findings released by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) from 14,400 Asian American voters reveal that Asian American voters in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia and Nevada strongly favored Clinton over Trump.
"The extreme anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, and racist rhetoric in this election was deeply disturbing to Asian American voters, who wanted to support candidates who shared their values and hope for America," said Margaret Fung, Executive Director of AALDEF.
AALDEF collected surveys from Asian American voters at 91 polling places in 14 states with large or fast-growing Asian American populations. Based on Asian American voters polled on Election Day, 79% backed Hillary Clinton, 17% were for Donald Trump, and 3% voted for other candidates.
Here's the breakdown by state:
Vote for President:
Pennsylvania
87% for Clinton, 12% for Trump, 1% other(Trump won 49% of total votes, Clinton 48%, other 2%)
Michigan
91% for Clinton, 7% for Trump, 1% other
(Trump won 48%, Clinton 47%, other 4%)
Virginia
81% for Clinton, 18% for Trump, 1% other
(Clinton won 50%, Trump 45%, other 3%)
Georgia
69% for Clinton, 21% for Trump, 3% other
(Trump won 51%, Clinton 46%, other 3%)
Texas
59% for Clinton, 33% for Trump, 2% other
(Trump won 53%, Clinton 43%, other 3%)
Louisiana
46% for Clinton, 49% for Trump, 1% other
(Trump won 58%, Clinton 38%, other 2%)
Nevada
69% for Clinton, 29% for Trump, 2% other
(Clinton won 48%, Trump 45%, other 3%)
Maryland
71% for Clinton, 23% for Trump, 1% other
(Clinton won 60%, Trump 35%, other 3%)
Massachusetts
80% for Clinton, 12% for Trump, 1% other
(Clinton won 61%,Trump 33%, other 4%)
New Jersey
83% for Clinton, 13% for Trump, 2% other
(Clinton won 55%, Trump 42%, other 2%)
California
77% for Clinton, 17% for Trump, 2% other
(Clinton won 61%, Trump 33%, other 3%)
New York
82% for Clinton, 14% for Trump, 2% other
(Clinton won 59%, Trump 37%, other 2%)
Approximately 950 attorneys, law students, and community volunteers were stationed at poll sites throughout Election Day, generally between 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. Surveys were written in English and 12 Asian languages, and volunteers were conversant in Asian languages and dialects.
AALDEF says that additional exit poll results regarding Asian ethnic groups, most important issues influencing their votes, and preferences for Senate and House candidates will be released soon.
