Asian-American Lawmakers Endorse Hillary Clinton Ahead Of California Primary

Hillary Clinton campaigns for California primary

WASHINGTON -- An influential group of Asian-American lawmakers endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clintonin Los Angeles on Tuesday, giving her a boost ahead of next week"s California primary.

The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Leadership PAC, which includes several representatives and senators from California, urged Asian-American and Pacific Islander voters to back Clinton to combat presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump"s anti-immigrant rhetoric.

"There is so much at stake in this election, and we cannot tolerate any presidential candidate who promotes fear tactics, hateful rhetoric against immigrants and bullying," CAPAC chair Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) said on Tuesday, alluding to Trump.

"We AAPIs must turn out the vote and ensure that our voice matters," Chu said. "We must support the candidate who will bring us together, and make our nation more equal and just for everyone -- and that person is Hillary Clinton."

Clinton is preparing to officially clinch the Democratic presidential nomination after the California primary on June 7, and is hoping for a substantial victory that day. However, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has also invested heavily in the state, and the race may be tighter than expected.

Clinton"s campaign has focused on outreach to Asian-Americans, and she has outperformed Sanders with minority voters in other states. The fastest growing minority group in the country, Asian-Americans make up a significant voting bloc in California, comprising over12 percent of the state"s eligible voting population.

In addition to touting endorsements from the state"s Asian-American lawmakers, Clinton"s campaign is running targeted ads and conducting voter outreach in Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Korean.

Damian Dovarganes/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Clinton at an Asian-American voter outreach event in San Gabriel, California in January.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-asian-americans-california-primary_us_574dfce2e4b0af73af95b4c4