Asian-American targets swing states in US presidential race

NEW YORK: A new group plans to spend millions of dollars to register and turn out Asian American voters in a handful of US swing states, a bid to give the relatively small but fast-growing group outsized influence in the Nov 8 presidential election.

If successful, the effort could give voice to a portion of the electorate that has traditionally leaned Democratic but has voted in lower numbers than other minority groups and been largely ignored by candidates in past presidential elections.

The AAPI Victory Fund plan to spend $2 million to register at least 50,000 voters in places like Nevada, Virginia and North Carolina before election day - states where it says the number of eligible Asian American voters exceeds the margin of victory in the 2012 presidential poll. “If this community were to turn out more, it can actually swing the election,” said Dilawar Syed, the co-founder and vice chairman of the Super PAC, a political action committee that can raise unlimited funds.