New York’s once blue-leaning Asian-American voters — disgusted with crime, discrimination and bad education — have turned on the Democratic Party with a vengeance, a Post analysis of election results reveals.
In a startling development, Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin carried the majority Asian 40th Assembly District in Flushing/Bayside Queens over victorious Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul, with 7,819 votes to 7,301 for the incumbent.
Zeldin also bested Hochul in the heavily Asian 47th and 49th Assembly districts in southern Brooklyn.
The Long Island GOP congressman won 23 predominantly Asian election districts combined in the two Assembly districts — including in Chinese-populated Sunset Park, the Post review of election districts found. Zeldin even carried one election district in Chinatown — ED 16 — with 187 votes to 153 for Hochul.
“Safety is my top priority. The crime rate is growing too dramatic on the streets of Chinatown. What the Republican Party put forward is to solve the problem of public security and high crime,” said one resident of the Manhattan district, Lili, who also cited inflation and education as issues that made her vote Republican.
“We are Asian American citizens, but we are not treated equally. … I’m very disappointed about the Democratic party right now. I hope the entire New York could turn red.”
In a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 2 to 1, Hochul won the election over the hard-charging Zeldin by just 6 percentage points. Her victory was fueled by winning 90% support from black voters, but Zeldin made significant inroads among Jewish Orthodox and Latino voters, in addition to Asian voters.
Victorious GOP candidates said they benefited from Asian discontent on once solid Democratic turf.
“It comes down to public safety and education. People see crime every day. I heard it when I knocked on doors,” said Lester Chang, the Republican candidate who upset 36-year veteran Democrat Assemblyman Peter Abbate in the 49th AD.
And while Zeldin carried the 40th AD in Flushing/Bayside, Democrat Assemblyman Ron Kim managed to just squeak by in his own race in the district, winning reelection by just 550 votes — or 52% to 48% — against Republican rival Sharon Liao.
He said his constituents feel the Democratic-rule in New York has not been responsive to their concerns.
“For a few years now my constituents have felt physically and economically unsafe. A group of immigrants were told if they work hard they’ll get ahead. That’s no longer the case. The leadership of Democratic Party has not taken those concerns seriously. … There’s a lot of frustration and anger in the Asian-American community,” Kim said.
Zeldin also outhustled Hochul in the Asian community. He met with Asian civic leaders in Flushing shortly after announcing his candidacy last year and his campaign maintained constant outreach, said Yiakin Chu, co-founder and president of the new non-partisan group, Asian Wave Alliance.
She said Zeldin supporters swamped WeChat, the social media app used by Chinese-speaking residents while the Hochul campaign had virtually no presence.
Democratic policies promoting cashless bail and moving away from merit-based education programs has alienated Asian voters, Chu said.
“Education has really motivated people like never before. We have seen what politics can do to public education,” said Chu.
She also said working class Asian voters oppose the move to impose congestion pricing — higher tolls — to enter Manhattan’s business district and replacing the Rikers Island jail complex with smaller jails in Chinatown and the outer-boroughs, controversial policies advanced by Democrats.
Chu and others in the Asian community noted the significant shift away from the Democratic Party to the Republicans began last year, when GOP mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa carried many Asian districts amid a backlash over former outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio’s push to loosen merit-based school admission policies as well as pandemic restrictions.
Lawmaker Kim also said Asian parents are fed up with having their kids pitted against black and Latino students to get into rigorous schools.
“Asian American families don’t want to be stuck in the rat race. It’s the hunger games. We’re not building enough specialized schools and gifted and talented schools,” he said.
