With Republicans making little progress in winning over Latino voters and Democrats in little danger of losing many, it may be time for the political parties to consider an ethnic constituency that really is up for grabs, the Asian Pacific American population. Consisting of several large nationality groups and a number of smaller ones, Asian-Americans have been mostly ignored, even as they move out of traditional areas of ethnic concentration and vote in higher proportions than Latinos.

While less numerous than Latinos, the Asian Pacific American population is the fastest-growing minority population, and it is an important electoral presence in a number of states — not only California and Hawaii but also Arizona, Nevada, Alaska, Utah and Washington in the West; Missouri and Illinois in the Midwest; New Jersey, Maryland, New York and Massachusetts in the Northeast; and Florida, Texas and Virginia in the South. Without question, the Asian-American population is consequential in many additional locations in races for local offices.

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