Nevada

Why Nevada’s Asian American population embraced Trump – Washington Examiner

Published

1 year ago

December 22, 2024

Why Nevada’s Asian American population embraced Trump – Washington Examiner

President-elect Donald Trump garnered a historic level of support from the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in Nevada during the 2024 election, primarily because he zeroed in on two problems that transcended racial constructs.

Despite the fact that he was running against Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democratic candidate with a South Asian background, exit polls show Trump nearly doubled his share of votes from AAPI voters relative to his 2020 performance, subsequently flipping the Silver State red for the first time in two decades.

Nevada has the highest percentage of AAPI voters among the seven battleground states, and the population has grown to almost 3.2 million, up from 2.7 million in 2010. The demographic shift toward Trump was the outcome of successful targeting by his campaign, voters hearing the right things, and general apathy toward the cultural issues Democrats were highlighting to excite voters.

The economy and border

Unsurprisingly, Trump’s focus on the economy and immigration was a key factor in shifting Nevada’s AAPI demographic toward the GOP. In an exit poll conducted after the interview, 64% of AAPI respondents said they voted for Trump, compared to the 61% in 2020 who said they voted for Biden

Post-election exit polls showed that his message on the twin issues pulled the race in his favor, as data showed concerns about the economy and immigration resonated with Nevadan voters across racial divides. Of the Nevada residents who voted for Trump, overwhelming majorities cited economy as their top concern, followed by immigration.

Many American Filipinos, who form the largest Asian ethnic group in Nevada, felt resentment that people could “stay here illegally” when they “went through the mill” to become permanent residents, said Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Philippines ambassador to the U.S., during post-election musings on ABS-CBN News.

James Zarsadiaz, an Associate Professor of History and Director of the Yuchengco Philippine Studies Program at the University of San Francisco, agreed.

“Some Asian immigrants and refugees in particular feel they settled in the U.S. the ‘correct’ way. Conservative messaging helps convince them that undocumented individuals sully the dignity of the legal pathways to citizenship that they took,” he wrote in an op-ed following the election.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump greets former Democratic Hawaiian Rep. Tulsi Gabbard after she introduced him to speak during a campaign rally at Thomas & Mack Center, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

While immigration concerns loomed large, many professionals, including Zarsadiaz and Ana Wood, the director of the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce, said the economy was the single most important issue Nevada voters considered as they cast their votes.

“All those [rising costs] affect the Asian businesses,” Wood told the Nevada Independent in late October. “They’re finding that they have financial challenges. And I’m not talking just about restaurants — I’m talking about even the spas, nail salons, dry cleaners.”

Karthick Ramakrishnan, a political scientist and founder of the polling organization AAPI Data, told NBC News following the election that Asian Americans viewed Trump more favorably in 2024 because of economic concerns.

“If you’re unemployed or employed, if you’re retired or working, everyone feels the pain of inflation,” Ramakrishnan said. “That was a significant headwind for the Democratic Party, including Harris.”

It was the Harris campaign’s failure to adequately address concerns about the voters’ two top issues that helped drive the vice president’s historic decline in support from the AAPI community, according to Shakeel Syed, the executive director of the nonprofit South Asian Network.

“Look at Trump’s agenda: He ran on inflation and immigration primarily,” Syed told NBC. “And I think she did not address those things.”

The culture war factor

While the twin pillars of economy and immigration propelled Trump to the White House, it was the Democratic Party’s stance on controversial “culture war” issues that helped drive voters away from Harris, according to experts.

Renu Mukherjee, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, reported following the election that Asian Americans pivoted to Trump because of an “indifference” to progressive issues, including “soft on crime” measures, diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in the classroom, and abortion.

Romualdez, the Filipino ambassador, agreed that the Harris campaign made a strategic mistake in “hammering” AAPI voters on abortion instead of kitchen table issues.

“I think the messaging was, was lost in the translation, in the sense that what’s important, really, for most people here was the economy and the illegal [immigrants.] You know, Trump was able to connect that the illegal immigration is what is causing the economy to be burdened … he was able to connect that … and that he was going to get rid of it, he was going to change and going to and bring down inflation prices,” the ambassador said.

Overall, Mukherjee wrote that “Asian Americans’ dissatisfaction with Democratic positions on the economy, crime, and education reflect their broader dissatisfaction with progressive assaults on merit, fairness, and the American dream — ideas that many Asian American groups hold dear.”

Multiple national surveys in recent years have indicated Asian Americans increasingly view relaxed crime policies backed by progressives with disfavor. The majority of Asian Americans in California, which borders Nevada, supported the passage of a ballot measure this year that sought to roll back some of the Golden State’s more lenient penalties for certain offenses.

The Democratic Party’s view on racial equity in the education system and movement away from merit-based standards has also turned AAPI voters away, according to Asra Nomani, a former journalism professor at Georgetown University.

“The injustice of being labeled as ‘privileged,’ ‘selfish,’ ‘cheaters,’ ‘overrepresented,’ ‘white adjacent,’ and ‘resource hoarders’ hurt very deeply,” Nomani said during an interview with RealClearPolitics. It led to “political mobilization and a reconsideration of long-standing political loyalties.”

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump gestures during a campaign rally at Lee’s Family Forum, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Some members of the AAPI community rejected Harris because her campaign’s liberal stance on gender identity conflicted with their religious beliefs. Others, particularly Filipino voters with backgrounds in communist countries, gravitated toward Republicans due to their “conservative” tendencies, according to Pauline Lee, the president of the Nevada Republican Club and a Chinese American.

With Filipino Americans currently being the largest and fastest-growing segment of the AAPI population in the U.S., Lee told the Nevada Independent that the “older Filipinos who came to this country are all conservative,” in comments that were backed up by Filipino Ambassador Romualdez.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Trump made his pitch directly

Trumpworld made reaching the voting bloc a large focus of efforts in Nevada, with Turning Point USA holding an AAPI-themed rally in Las Vegas just weeks before Election Day. Trump himself appeared at the event alongside Hawaiian native Tulsi Gabbard, a top campaign surrogate, hailing her as “an incredible leader from the Asian American Pacific Community,” as he delivered remarks that focused largely on the economy and the border.

TPUSA president Charlie Kirk concluded the pitch to Asian Americans, saying, “Just as we’re seeing huge shifts with Hispanics and the black community, this is a group that is poised to resonate powerfully with President Trump’s message of economic empowerment, law-and-order, safe streets, and a return to orderly, sane immigration policies.

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Nevada

3 takeaways from Big City Showdown: Gorman boys, girls shine — PHOTOS

Published

4 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

3 takeaways from Big City Showdown: Gorman boys, girls shine — PHOTOS

Bishop Gorman and Coronado’s boys basketball teams added another chapter to their rivalry at Saturday night’s Big City Showdown.

And the Gaels made sure they wouldn’t lose a third straight regular-season game to the Cougars.

Gorman, the two-time defending Class 5A state champion, almost saw its 10-point fourth quarter lead evaporate, but the Gaels, No. 4 in the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, pulled through late to hold on for a 62-58 road win at No. 3 Coronado.

“It’s been a great rivalry,” Gorman boys coach Grant Rice said. “Student sections are both great, they always show out. I was proud of our guys, just a fun night. We got a lot of basketball left ahead of us. This league is really tough.”

Gorman’s win capped off the seven-game Big City Showdown. The most surprising result came before Gorman and Coronado took the court, when the Gorman girls crushed Centennial 91-54.

“We practice extremely hard,” Gorman girls coach Sheryl Krmpotich said. “Our master plan, they did to a T. I’m proud of the girls. They executed exactly what we wanted. We played tougher and we played smart.”

The games have started to provide a clearer look at the playoff picture with a month before the postseason. Here are three takeaways from the Big City Showdown:

1. Gorman boys stand tall

Gorman (11-7, 2-0 5A Southern League) was in control most of the way until late in the fourth quarter. Dino Roberts’ layup with just over five minutes left gave the Gaels a 51-41 advantage.

Then Coronado (6-7, 1-1) went on an 8-0 run and later made it a one-score game at 55-53 on a Demari Hunter layup with 2:50 left. Coronado cut the deficit to one possession twice in the final minute, and the Cougars had a chance to win the game, trailing 60-58 with eight seconds left.

But a Jonny Collins 3-pointer missed, Coronado couldn’t control possession and Gorman guard Ty Johnson made two free throws at the other end to seal the win for the Gaels.

“We’re a really balanced team,” Rice said. “We only have two seniors and two juniors that get minutes and the rest are sophomores. We’re learning. … I think the guys needed this big game in Vegas to get their confidence back. We still have to stay grounded because we’re a young team, but we showed we can be pretty good.”

Johnson, who was named the game MVP, led Gorman with 23 points. The sophomore point guard scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to help the Gaels secure the win. Braylen Williams added 13 points for Gorman and Dino Roberts scored 10.

“It just helps us excel,” Johnson said of Gorman’s depth. “We had Hudson Dannels making 3s, (Kameron Cooper) and Braylen hustling on the boards. Defense and rebounding are the two things that’ll get us a (win). We’re going to score, points are going to come.”

Munir Greg led Coronado with 22 points. Missouri State commit Amare Oba scored 16 points and DeVaughn Dorrough added 10 points for the Cougars.

2. Gorman girls dominate

Just like Coronado and Gorman on the boys side, the Centennial and Gorman girls have played close, thrilling games. Not on Saturday, though.

Led by 30 points from Texas commit Aaliah Spaight, the Gaels, No. 1 in the Review-Journal’s 5A rankings, led nearly the entire game in its rout of No. 3 Centennial.

“Every game, we’re getting better. Every quarter we get better,” Krmpotich said. “We still haven’t put four quarters together yet. We want to do that in February.”

Centennial (8-4, 1-1 5A Southern League) had no answers for Spaight and Gorman’s depth. The 5-foot-8-inch guard showcased her scoring range — stepback 3s, jumpers and incredible post moves — passing and defense, when Spaight was matched up with Centennial four-star forward Nation Williams.

“She’s the All-American on our team,” Krmpotich said of Spaight. “She sets a tone at practice. She sets a tone in the game. She is a true leader and you expect that. … She’s an extremely smart basketball player, basketball savvy, so we knew she knew how to guard (Williams).”

Gorman (13-1, 2-0), which is ranked No. 5 nationally by MaxPreps, made 12 3-pointers. Taylor Scandrick added 22 points off the bench for the Gaels. Williams led Centennial with 18 points.

“We can rotate in and out. We have an inside-out game. We have kids that can post, kids that can drive to the bucket, kids than can shoot a 3,” Krmpotich said. We’re very multidimensional, so it’s very hard to defend just one or two people.”

3. Look at 5A

There are still plenty of challengers looking to dethrone Gorman for the 5A boys title race.

One matchup at the Big City Showdown pitted two of those contenders with No. 1 Liberty holding off No. 5 Desert Pines 67-66. Liberty led by 21 points early in the third quarter. Tyus Thomas scored 15 points to pace Liberty (13-5, 2-0).

The Patriots could be the biggest threat to Gorman, and you can’t count out Desert Pines, but there are other contenders in 5A with Democracy Prep and Mojave. Coronado should be primed for a state title run come February.

On the 5A girls side, No. 2 Democracy Prep will get its shots at Gorman and Centennial late in the regular season. Democracy Prep beat Gorman twice last year and came up short to Centennial in the 5A title game.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.

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Nevada

Nevada gets back in win column, downs Wyoming, 92-83

Published

16 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Nevada gets back in win column, downs Wyoming, 92-83

Corey Camper Jr. put on a shooting clinic and helped Nevada get back in the win column.

Nevada beat Wyoming 92-83, on Saturday in front of an announced crowd of 8,906 fans at Lawlor Events Center.

Camper Jr., playing for the third time after missing a month with a back injury, scored a career-high 31 points as Nevada improved to 4-1 in the Mountain West Conference, 12-4 overall. He was 10-of-13 from the field including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, and 6-of-8 from the free throw line, playing 32 minutes. He had seven rebounds.

Elijah Price had a double-double with a career-high 20 points and 16 rebounds, in 34 minutes, while Tayshawn Comer, Amire Robinson and Peyton White each added 10 points. Comer had 10 assists as Nevada had 21 as a team. Vaughn Weems returned to the court after missing the San Diego State game on Tuesday with the flu. He played 12 minutes and scored nine points.

The Wolf Pack shot 61 percent from the field (31-51) and made 10-of-16 from the arc.

Nasir Meyer led Wyoming with 27 points as the Cowboys dropped to 2-2 in conference, 11-5 overall.

Nevada coach Steve Alford said the Wolf Pack’s defense was better against the Cowboys than it was in the loss to San Diego State.

But still not to the level he would like it.

He cited communication and players’ stances while both guarding the ball and off the ball as a few of the many fundamentals the Pack needs to improve.

“We had slippage in the (San Diego) State game and we didn’t have a whole of improvement in this game, from a defensive standpoint,” Alford said Saturday night.

Nevada’s offense was much better, though, than in the loss to the Aztecs. The Pack took better shots and eliminated bad shots.

Alford said Price played more of a complete game than he has most of the season.

Price said the Pack’s defense was not good, but played better in the second half and that as why the Pack won.

“We’re a lot better defensively than what we’ve been showing the past two games,” Price said. “We know if were going to beat Utah State on the road, we’re going to have to get some stops, so that’s what we’re focused on.”

More Key Stats

Nevada outrebounded Wyoming, 38-32. Both teams had nine offensive boards.

Nevada had eight turnovers and Wyoming had six.

The Pack outscored the Cowboys, 38-32, in the paint.

Wyoming’s bench outscored the Pack’s, 31-29.

Out

Nevada’s Joel Armotrading and Tyler Rolison did not play. Armotrading was injured against Washington on Nov. 27 and has not played since. Rolison has a back injury.

Half

Wyoming led, 39-38, at the half. Camper Jr. had 19 points in the first half.

Nevada shot 14-of-27 from the field and 5-of-10 from the ac.

The Cowboys outscored the Wolf Pack in the paint, 22-14.

Up Next

Nevada travels to play at State at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The Aggies dominated Boise State on Saturday, taking a 93-68 win to improve to 14-1 overall, 5-0 in conference.

Nevada will travel to Logan, Utah on Tuesday, and stay on the road for the following game, at Air Force on Saturday.

“(Utah State) has one of the best crowds in the Mountain West , so we know it’s going to be a very difficult game for us,” Alford said. “We needed to get this one, to get that momentum before we go on the road.”

Alford said if Indiana wins that game, and finished 16-0, it means Indiana will have the only two undefeated season in college major sports as the Hoosiers 1976 basketball team was undefeated.

Alford’s Alma Mater

Alford played college basketball at Indoana.

The Hoosiers are playing Miami for the national football championship on Jan 19.

Steve Alford discusses Nevada’s 92-83 win over Wyoming on Saturday

Nevada men’s basketball coach Steve Alford discusses the Wolf Pack’s 92-83 win over Wyoming on Saturday

Nevada’s Remaining Schedule

Wednesday, Jan. 14, 7 p.m. at Utah State (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Jan. 17, 1 p.m. at Air Force (TV: MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 7 p.m. vs. San Jose State (TV: KNSN, MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Jan. 24, 5 p.m. at New Mexico (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 7:30 p.m. vs. Grand Canyon (TV: FS1/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Friday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m. vs. UNLV (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, Feb. 3, 5 p.m. at Boise State (TV: MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m. vs. Fresno State (TV: KNSN, MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m. at San Diego State (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m. at San Jose State (TV: MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m. vs. Utah State (TV: FS1/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 8 p.m. vs. New Mexico (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m. at UNLV (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, March 3, TBD at Wyoming (TV: MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, March 7, 7 p.m. vs. Air Force (TV: KNSN, MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)