Asian Americans - Asian American Voters Influence Grows - Sfgate

Republicans have been rallying around a drive to adopt positions that appeal to Latinos since their defeat in this month's presidential contest. But the GOP is also having problems attracting the votes of an even faster growing group: Asian Americans .

Exit poll data show that 73 percent of Asian American voters nationwide supported President Obama on Nov. 6, while GOP challenger Mitt Romney received 26 percent of the vote. In 2008, Obama carried 62 percent of the Asian American vote, while his opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, got 35 percent.

In California, 79 percent of Asian American voters selected Obama and 21 percent backed Romney. That is a larger spread than in 2008, when 64 percent of Asian Americans in the state voted for Obama and 35 percent voted for McCain.

Nationally, 71 percent of Hispanic voters supported Obama this year.

The strong Asian American support for Obama reflects a quiet transition, as the issues that matter most to these voters have shifted from foreign policy to health care and education , analysts say. In 1992, for example, Bill Clinton received less than a third of Asian Americans ' votes.

'Dramatic trend'

"It's a continuation of a pretty dramatic trend over the last 20 years," said Lee said there have been push and pull forces at work, changing Asian American sentiments. Republicans were pushing away these voters with rhetoric perceived as exclusionary of immigrants and non-Christians, while