Asian American and Pacific Islander Voters Help Georgia Make History
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Media Contact: media@asianamericanadvocacyfund.org
Asian American and Pacific Islander Voters Help Georgia Make History
In response to a historic election night in Georgia, the Asian American Advocacy Fund issued the following statement attributed to Executive Director Ashna Khanna:
“Today, Asian American and Pacific Islander voters helped Georgia shatter political barriers that stood for decades. From electing the first Black woman governor in American history to flipping the State House after more than 20 years of Republican control, reshaping the Public Service Commission and Cobb County School Board, and achieving historic breakthroughs in Asian American political representation, Georgia is redefining what leadership looks like in this country.
These victories were not inevitable. Our organizers built it door by door and call by call, in Hindi, Urdu, Bangla, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog. These wins are the result of years of organizing, investment, and a multiracial coalition that has transformed Georgia's political landscape.
At the Asian American Advocacy Fund, we are incredibly proud of the work our team and grassroots partners have done to expand political participation and elevate communities too often overlooked.
To the national political establishment: pay attention to Georgia because the electorate is changing, and the communities building political power today will help shape the next generation of leadership.
Our work now is to ensure that this historic representation delivers meaningful change for the people who made it possible.”
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The Asian American Advocacy Fund (AAAF) is a grassroots 501(c)(4) social welfare organization dedicated to building a politically conscious, engaged, and progressive Asian American base in Georgia. Through community organizing, storytelling, electoral organizing, and policy advocacy, AAAF amplifies the collective power of Georgia’s Asian American communities and works in partnership with others to build a more just and equitable Georgia.
The Big Picture
17 of 18 Asian American Advocacy Fund-endorsed candidates won their races, from the governor seat to the Cobb County school board.
A record AAPI early vote. About 163,000 Asian Americans voted early in Georgia, nearly 6% of the state’s 2.79 million early ballots.
New voters showed up. About 53,000 Asian American early voters skipped the 2022 midterms. More than 13,000 of them didn’t vote in 2024 either.
Where AAPI Voters Made the Difference
Senate District 48: Asian Americans are 38% of registered voters, and AAAF made 72,000 voter contact attempts there. The Democratic candidate won by fewer than 5,000 votes.
Community-led organizing drove turnout: 27% of the voters AAAF reached this year cast early ballots.
AAAF’s Organizing Efforts (2026)
More than 287,000 voter contact attempts by door, phone and text
Nearly 30,000 direct conversations with voters
157,000 phone calls and 94,000+ doors knocked
3,600+ hours of canvassing and phone banking
51 community events, 27 of them focused on the election
Materials in 7 languages: Hindi, Urdu, Bangla, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Tagalog
26,800+ pieces of in-language mail in Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese, plus English mail to South Asian voters
2.28 million paid digital impressions statewide, plus creator partnerships on social
Historic Moments
Keisha Lance Bottoms is the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history and Georgia’s first Democratic governor elected since 1998.
Georgia State House of Representatives flipped to Democratic control for the first time since 2005, ending over two decades of Republican control
Public Service Commission flipped for the first time in decades with the election of Peter Hubbard and Shelia Edwards, ending a long-held Republican majority.
Cobb County School Board flipped to a Democratic majority for the first time in more than a decade, in Georgia’s second-largest school district. The board has been at the center of fights over book bans and limits on public comment. Micheal Garza is the first Latino elected to the Cobb County School Board.
Jyot Singh is the first Indian American and Sikh American elected to the Georgia General Assembly.
Bentley Hudgins is the first Japanese American, transgender and nonbinary person elected to the Georgia General Assembly.
Rohit Malhotra is the first Indian American and first Asian American elected to the Fulton County Commission.
Ruwa Romman is the first Palestinian American elected to the Georgia State Senate.