Before last November’s mayoral election in the desi stronghold of Edison, New Jersey, local DJs called the Jersey Guys spewed anti-Indian and Asian American rhetoric on air. An AALDEF press release makes clear just how badly the DJs screwed up in their political goals by trying to stoke nativism. In an exit poll of 329 voters, ~132 of them desi, almost all said they voted for the Korean-American candidate whom the Jersey Guys opposed:

Picket fences, baby

Asian American voters also overwhelmingly supported Asian American candidates across ethnic lines. In Edison, where the mayoral race was decided by 273 votes, 97% of all Asian American respondents voted for Mayor Jun Choi. Among South Asian American voters, wholly 100% of all respondents voted for Jun Choi. Among Chinese American voters, 87% voted for Jun Choi. [press release via SAJA]

The desi results for the Senate race mirror the ~90% Democratic vote in the last presidential election:

Among South Asian voters, 91% voted for Corzine [D] and 6% voted for Forrester [R]. Among Korean voters, 83% voted for Corzine and 17% voted for Forrester. Among Filipino voters, 64% voted for Corzine and 36% voted for Forrester…

Approximately one in four respondents was not enrolled in any political party (28%). More than half (56%) of respondents were registered Democrats, 12% were Republican, and 4% were enrolled in other parties. [press release]

The funny thing is that the press release doesn’t acknowledge the role of the Jersey Guys debacle in consolidating the Asian-American vote. At the time, even the DJs took credit for Choi’s win:

Choi also received weeks of free publicity after hosts on New Jersey 101.5 FM in April poked fun at his Korean heritage, questioning who would vote for a candidate with that name… Yesterday, Carton and Rossi took credit for Choi’s victory. “Without us, Jun Choi is not elected as mayor of Edison,” Carton told listeners and said he was waiting for Choi to call in and thank him. Choi called later in the show, and Carton, sounding slighted, hung up on him. When Choi called back, Carton accused him of a lack of courtesy. [Star-Ledger]

Those shots you heard are the sweet sounds of backfire.

Related posts: Edison may get an Asian-American mayor, Jersey Guys apologize (updated), Biggest Navratri celebration canceled