Charting the Political Priorities of Orange County’s Asian Voters

Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders represent 24.7% of the 3.1 million people who live in Orange County, California, according to the U.S. Census. 

With the third-largest Asian population in the United States, Orange County reflects the strength in numbers of the Asian American voting bloc. In the county’s cities, like Irvine, Garden Grove, and Westminster, Asians, Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders represent over 40% of the population and constitute the racial majority. While its population has been historically conservative and predominantly white, Orange County’s expanding Asian community is playing a larger role in determining the political priorities of its leaders both locally and nationally. 

“[Orange County] has been a stronghold of Republicans for a very long time, but as we’re shifting [and] becoming more diverse, we’re seeing that shift towards more Democratic values,” said Farrah Khan, a resident and former mayor of Irvine.

From affordable housing to community-focused policing, such values have divided Asian voters across a variety of platforms. Khan, who served as the first Pakistani woman on the Irvine City Council before being elected the city’s mayor in 2020, said financial establishment and the economy will always be a priority to most Irvine and Orange County residents, who tend to be middle- or upper-class. She added that public transportation and multilingual accessibility across her city are prevalent issues that aren’t necessarily expressed in voter polls but remain important topics of concern for local government. 

Asian American Voters Defy Party Lines

During the 2024 general election, Orange County residents were evenly divided among Republicans and Democrats — a truly “purple” county, according to a survey conducted by University of California, Irvine’s (UCI) School of Social Ecology. UCI’s poll showed that Asian voters in Orange County leaned further left during the 2024 election compared to previous elections, often siding with Vice President Kamala Harris’ stance on national issues such as abortion, healthcare, immigration, and the environment. However, the survey showed that 42% of Asian voters — roughly 190,000 people — still voted for President Donald Trump, showing that Asian voters’ political priorities don’t always fit within party lines.

Michael, a student at UCI from Westminster, said that healthcare and education were among the issues that mattered most to him when considering who and what to vote for during the 2024 election. 

“With all of the federal attacks on higher education, I’ve been really concerned about how Trump’s policies will disrupt the current learning environment,” said Michael. “Diversity is so important to our campus and to my communities. With the [Trump administration] targeting immigrants and international students, [Diversity, Equity, Inclusion] and federal funding to universities, I’m worried this will impact the quality of my education and the opportunities I’ll have after graduation.”

Other Orange County voters between the ages of 18 and 24 shared similar sentiments, often listing education and immigration policies as their primary concerns. Though several, like Michael, were born in the United States, they said they were worried about how federal immigration policies would affect their foreign-born peers and family members.

“I have many international friends who are worried their visas will be revoked,” said Elaine X., a California State University, Fullerton student who moved to the United States from China when she was 3 years old. “A lot of people are scared to go home for the summer, a lot of people are scared that someone they know, like their parents or relatives, will be deported without due process.”

Emily, who grew up in Irvine, said the “vilification of immigrants” in the United States is “alarming” and especially worrisome for Orange County’s ethnically diverse population.

James, a third-year political science major from Newport Beach, said he is particularly worried about the presence of ICE agents near local businesses, neighborhoods, and public spaces.

“What we’re seeing on the news of families being torn apart, people being dragged off the streets — it’s really frightening,” James said. “That [ICE] agents aren’t identifying themselves in most cases is really concerning, too. It’s unfortunate that many people in our county voted for this, especially when so much of our community is immigrants or descended from immigrants.”

On the other side of the political spectrum, Irene, a 40-year-old Taiwanese American, said she is most concerned about the crime rates in her city. The Irvine resident said she voted for Trump in the presidential election and supports his policies on immigration, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and tariffs on Chinese goods. She is one of the six in 10 Orange County voters who said crime was a major factor in their voting choices, according to the UCI poll.

“Orange County’s pretty affluent, but dangerous stuff still happens here and not much is done about it,” Irene said. “I do wish Asians were more proactive in politics.”

Though Irene said that fellow residents may not agree with her conservative social and economic values, she believes that a majority of Orange County voters share her concerns for public safety and crime. 

Emily said she also considers safety and crime to be a priority in her political views, but added that she is more concerned about the handling of such issues when they are connected to marginalized communities. 

City Councilmembers Navigate Diverse Priorities

Irvine’s local leaders have a more holistic perception of their community’s political priorities. For councilmembers Melinda Liu, William Go, and James Mai, understanding the needs of their Asian American constituents is crucial. Liu, Go, and Mai represent Districts 1, 2, and 3, respectively, whose populations are majority Asian.

After immigrating to California from Taiwan as a teenager, Liu said her experience acting as a translator and mediator for her parents, as well as her background in immigration law, showed her that language accessibility is a significant barrier for Asian community members. As a councilmember, she views language accessibility as a critical aspect of political engagement in Orange County and has worked to bridge the gap associated with non-English speaking communities. Her fellow council members have also focused heavily on uniting their communities across cultural and political barriers.

“The reason I ran [for Irvine City Council] is because I was tired of the amount of partisan divide that we have,” Mai said.

Mai said he has focused primarily on local issues that remain separate from party politics, such as support for senior citizens, children with disabilities, and public spaces. While Mai is a registered Republican, he said his political values do not fit into a single party and that he strives for ideas that uplift a diversity of opinions. He added that many of his Asian American constituents share his views on community aid, bipartisanship, and diversity.

“The changing environment is good,” said Go, who is Chinese and Filipino American. “As Irvine becomes a lot more diverse … we’re working to address issues in ways that will benefit everyone. One main issue is that it’s getting too expensive to live here — it’s a top concern for everyone, including Asian Americans and especially young people who go off to college now and won’t be able to afford to raise their families here when they return.”

Affordability, Immigration, and the Push for Support Services

Nikki Oei, the program manager of the Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA), said immigration is a primary concern for many community members, especially in the wake of Trump’s most recent executive orders focused on border security and stricter immigration. OCAPICA provides a variety of support programs, including mental health and civic engagement services, to Orange County’s Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

Beyond immigration, some of the most frequent inquiries OCAPICA receives are requests for housing support and healthcare, Oei said.

“For many Asian Americans, [housing issues] get buried because of the high income levels that Asian American households report,” Oei said. “We also get a lot of need for mental health and physical health advocacy. The Medicaid cuts and Medi-Cal changes that are being proposed [by the Trump Administration] are really detrimental to Asian Americans.”

While Asian voters in Orange County tend to vote more conservatively, many still support policies and positions that are generally championed by Democrats. For example, Asian voters are the most pro-choice out of any racial group regarding abortion, according to UCI’s survey. Additionally, small business rights continue to be a priority for Asian business owners in Orange County, Oei said. 

Confronting Anti-Asian Violence Through Representation

Despite the dominance of Asian Americans in Orange County, many residents consider racially targeted hate incidents to be a persistent issue. Everyone interviewed cited the history of violence toward Asians locally and nationally to be a concern, particularly regarding the spike in incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic. While anti-Asian violence may not translate directly to the ballot, it may certainly impact voters’ priorities during upcoming elections.

“While I wouldn’t just vote for someone because we’re the same race or ethnicity, I think it makes a difference if a [political] candidate shares some of the background or experiences that I have,” said Theertha, an Orange County voter based in Tustin. “I definitely want an elected official who stands against Asian hate, instead of perpetuating it, and who will acknowledge when issues target certain groups.”

Since 2020, the Irvine City Council has continued to prioritize the well-being of its Asian residents, from supporting Asian-owned small businesses during the pandemic to facilitating community-building initiatives to highlight different Asian ethnic groups. As one of the nation’s few majority-Asian cities with 44.3% of the population identifying as Asian — not including bi- or multiracial Asians — Irvine provides an interesting lens to understand how political representation can provide better possibilities for Asian voters. 

“With great power comes great responsibility,” said Councilmember Go, referencing the Marvel superhero Spider-Man. “English was not my first language — I had to learn it when I arrived to this country. I learned, I worked hard, and I understand Irvine’s values. There should be some merit behind the fact that my district is 60% to 70% Asian American.”

Sean S., a 15-year resident of Irvine, said he hopes more candidates of Asian descent will run for office at the local, state, and federal levels.

“I’m Vietnamese and Chinese American,” Sean said. “There aren’t many people in government who look like me or my children, but my hope is that [Asian candidates] will continue to run and advocate for the things we care about. Not every Asian politician is going to be great — of course, it’s impossible that one person can represent all Asians. It’s people like my daughter, who is studying law and wants to make positive change in the government, that give me hope. Living in Irvine, I can say it’s cool to see when Asians in leadership positions are doing good things.”

Sean added that hearing stories about racial discrimination and violence in his city convinced him that it would be important to have leaders who could empathize with these experiences. When it comes to electing local leaders, representation does seem to matter.