Lancaster’s Asian American and Pacific Islander community is rallying behind Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the upcoming presidential election, driven by concerns over past rhetoric and current issues.”We are the fastest growing voting demographic in Pennsylvania,” said Adam Hosey, vice chair of the Pennsylvania Democrats AAPI Caucus.”Being an Asian American and living through the Asian American hate that was fostered during President Trump’s era and the COVID days, that’s not something I ever want to live through again,” said Paula Koda, a Harris/Walz supporter.They believe former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric reignites a sense of fear for their families.”We’re already seeing a number of pretty scary things happening in our streets. In Harrisburg last weekend, we had neo-Nazis brazenly rolling around with swastikas. These are the roaches that the Trump rhetoric unearths. Trump wants to put us back in time, whereas Kamala Harris has a vision for our future,” said Hosey.That vision, they say, is to fight for the middle class and working class.”We need to have affordable healthcare, affordable housing. We need to have access to clean water. All of these things are middle-class issues and middle-class values that we need someone to stand up for. I know that both Harris and Walz will be able to do that because they’re from the middle class,” Koda said.In what is expected to be a tight race to the White House, Asian Americans can make a difference. According to the 2020 census, more than 24 million people identified as Asian alone.”Kamala’s record speaks for itself already. On one hand, you have Donald Trump calling COVID the ‘kung flu,’ which was incredibly harmful for the Asian community. On the other hand, you have the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which the Biden-Harris administration put through,” Hosey said.”All individuals who have sat on the sidelines in the past need to get out and support this ticket,” Koda said.The Harris-Walz campaign…
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