Poll Shows Bush/Kerry in Close Race Among Asian Americans

Thursday, September 16th, 2004 Press Releases by IARC

Contact: Jack Hession, IARC Executive Director
Washington, D.C.
(202) 347-1223
September 16, 2004

Today, the Indian American Republican Council (IARC) Chairman Dr. R. Vijayanagar issued the following statement following the release of a national survey showing John Kerry with a small lead over President George W. Bush by a margin of 43%-36% among Asian Americans, with 20% undecided.
“This national poll shows that this election is still up for grabs among Asian Americans. President Bush has cut in half the lead that Democrats had among Asian American voters in 2000 when their margin of support was 55%-41% in favor of Al Gore over George Bush. In fact, this survey showed that Asian Americans “extremely likely to vote” favored Kerry only by the narrow margin of 43%-40%. Further, 49% of Asian Americans approve of the way President Bush is handling his job as President, compared to 41% who disapprove.
“The work the IARC is doing is crucial to help educate voters on issues affecting our community and nation. When it comes to promoting strong family values, eliminating frivolous lawsuits, rejecting isolationist economic policies, and showing strength in the Global War on Terrorism, I believe more Indian Americans will appreciate President George W. Bush’s positions and support Republican policies on November 2, 2004. Our values resonate more with Republicans.”
Democratic group Bendixen and Associates and Republican group The Tarrance Group jointly carried out the poll, which consisted of 1,004 registered Asian American and Pacific Islander voters nationwide. The poll, the first of its kind to track the opinions of Asian Americans, was conducted Aug. 19-29 in nine languages in 47 states, with no voters interviewed from Rhode Island, South Dakota and North Dakota. Respondents could choose to be interviewed in Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog, Japanese, Hindi, Hmong and English.
The survey also noted that:
• 67% of Indian Americans are college graduates or have attended graduate school compared with 33% of Americans.
• Indian Americans had the largest number of undecided voters, at 30%.
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