Democrats achieved a sweeping victory in Tuesday’s midterm elections, driven by a "multiracial, multi-ethnic blue wave" featuring significant support from Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters, according to a new voter poll released on Wednesday.
The 2026 Midterm Election Voter Poll, conducted by BSP Research and the African-American Research Collaborative in partnership with more than a dozen national organisations, surveyed 10,141 voters between October 20 and November 3. The data included 2,130 AAPI voters.
Taeku Lee, a Harvard professor of government and a researcher for the poll, stated that AAPI voters not only increased their turnout in 2026 but also shifted their support toward the Democratic Party. Lee noted a "nine-point swing to the Dems for AAPIs in 2026 compared to the partisan differential we found in 2024." He described AAPI voters as a "vital force" behind the blue wave.
The poll highlighted a shift in AAPI support compared to the 2024 presidential election. In 2024, 56 per cent of AAPI respondents voted for Democrat Kamala Harris and 34 per cent for Republican Donald Trump. In the 2026 House races, support for Democrats rose to 64 per cent, while Republican support remained at 33 per cent.
Lee identified two other major trends: the participation of younger voters and a massive mobilization effort. One in eight AAPI voters cast their first ballot in 2026, and one in three first voted in 2022 or later. Among voters aged 40 and younger, more than half had first voted in 2022 or later.
Furthermore, Lee reported that for the first time in 14 years of polling, AAPIs were more likely than whites to be contacted to register and turn out. Democrats were more likely to contact AAPI voters than Republicans, and one in three AAPI voters heard from at least one non-partisan or AAPI organisation.
The poll found that the cost of living was the primary concern across all racial groups. For AAPI voters, 53 per cent cited inflation as their top concern, followed by jobs and the economy (37 per cent) and healthcare costs (33 per cent). When asked specifically about the cost of living, half of AAPI respondents cited food and grocery prices, 38 per cent cited petrol prices, and 34 per cent pointed to healthcare costs.
