Wen Lighty, a leader in the Chinese American community in Jacksonville, Florida, has been a Republican for more than 10 years. As a small business owner, she said the party's ethos of fiscal conservatism and small government resonated with her.
But last May, after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning Chinese people from buying property in Florida, Lighty switched parties and began campaigning for local and national Democratic candidates.
Ahead of Florida's Aug. 20 primary election, outrage over Senate Bill 264 has spurred a voter mobilization effort in the state's Chinese American community, driving conservatives away from the Republican Party while encouraging first-time voters to register and volunteer with the Democratic Party, organizers and elected officials said.
“This bill alone has helped galvanize a lot of people in the Chinese American community who haven't traditionally engaged with government, especially state government,” said state Assemblywoman Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando), who has been an outspoken critic of SB 264.
Eskamani said hundreds of Chinese Americans have come to Tallahassee to protest, testify at committee hearings and lead fundraisers, saying he has “never seen a presence like this” in his 12 years in office.
For Lighty, the legislation was “the final push” after all of the hostile rhetoric and scapegoating that Republicans have directed at Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our Constitution requires that we treat everyone equally and fairly so that we can all live here without fear,” Lighty said. “Republicans have abandoned those principles.”
Chinese nationals who purchase real estate could face steep fines and up to five years in prison, and sellers who knowingly violate the restrictions could face up to one year in prison. SB 264 also restricted, but did not ban, some nationals of Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria and Venezuela from purchasing land.
A federal appeals court in April heard a challenge to the law after four Chinese immigrants in Florida, backed by the ACLU and other civil rights groups, sued the state last summer. Advocates say they hope to receive an injunction. The Justice Department sided with the Chinese plaintiffs in a lawsuit last June, but a judge rejected the motion.
“After this law was passed, we realized that Asian Americans really don't have a voice,” said Echo King, executive director of the Florida Asian American Justice Alliance, a nonprofit founded last year to combat anti-Asian discrimination. “We're contributing to this country, so why are we being targeted?”
Because of the lack of political representation for Asian Americans in Florida, FAAJA is targeting lawmakers willing to represent the community, King said. The organization has sent out surveys to determine which candidates support issues important to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and has conducted extensive voter registration education within the community, he said. “We're showing people why it's so important to vote,” he said. “We're endorsing candidates, and we see a lot of people who are involved in the community.”
King said SB 264 has had a noticeable impact on the Chinese American community. Many are selling their homes, while others are waiting to see if the law will be overturned before deciding whether to leave the state. King, an immigration lawyer, said the law prompted her to run for a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and become more involved in the electoral process. King said at least 25 Chinese American voters switched their affiliation from “independent” to Democrat to vote for her.
Lighty said Chinese Americans in Florida typically don't get involved in the electoral process outside of issues related to education and family. “The Chinese community is typically quiet when it comes to politics,” Lighty said. “This bill has changed that dynamic.”
SB 264 was written to curb the “malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party in the state,” but it immediately sparked widespread confusion and anger over discriminatory treatment of Chinese people. Legal experts likened the measure to century-old alien land laws that barred Asian Americans from owning land. Florida was one of the last states to repeal the law in 2018. Chinese American conservatives have also faced rampant anti-Communist, or Red Scare, tactics. In June, Bowen Ko, a Republican candidate for state senate, sued Senate Republicans over attack ads that alleged he received donations from Chinese donors with ties to the Communist Party.
While Asians make up just 3% of Florida's population, the state's Asian population has grown by 44% since 2010.
Eskamani said Asian Americans in Florida support the Republican Party because of the perception that the party supports small businesses, but “slowly but surely” registered Republicans in the Asian American community are realizing that the party doesn't always have their interests first.
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This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com.
