A reminder that the GOP can reach for immigrant voters -- if it wants them

Even though said co-owner, Joseph Hsiao, made it plain that he had also supported LGBT political efforts, including the recent unsuccessful city council president candidacy of Alex Wan. Even though Hsiao argued that the only thing he admired about Kemp was his small business policy.

The incident was a reminder that, in a Georgia rapidly diversifying with settlers from outside the United States, many members of these incoming ethnic groups, and thus their offspring, might normally be predisposed to become Republicans.

That is, if that party weren’t advertising itself as inhospitable to so many of these newcomers, who are often more socially conservative and religious than the average American.

This is why more farsighted Republicans wince when they hear a White House speak of denying a green card to any lawful, permanent resident with a family member who has ever benefited from a legal social welfare program – like those offered by Obamacare. Or in Georgia, PeachCare health insurance coverage for kids.

The instincts and networks are there for Republicans. Last week, several Indian-American groups banded together to host a Dunwoody fundraiser for Kemp’s gubernatorial campaign. About 80 attended. Donations may have reached six figures.

One of the organizers was Chandra “CB” Yadav, who grew up near New Delhi, India, and arrived here in 1999 with $50 in his pocket. He began in Woodbine, Ga., a sleepy town near the Georgia coast, and now owns restaurants, some small grocery stores and a few hotels.

His Facebook page includes a photo of himself, Vice President Mike Pence, and Kemp. Yadav is a supporter of President Donald Trump, but has a longer history with the Georgia GOP. He helped keep the party solvent with financial donations in 2015 and 2016. Counting in-kind contributions and cash, he gave more than $1,500 to Gov. Nathan Deal’s campaign in 2014. He was an early supporter of Kemp’s gubernatorial ambitions, making his first donation in January 2016.

In a telephone interview, Yadav spoke warmly of GOP attitudes toward small business. But he was more passionate about another issue. “We oppose illegal immigration,” Yadav said. “We came legally.”

Small footnote: Last February, about 200 Indian-Americans demonstrated outside the White House, in favor of a new “merit-based” immigration policy proposed by President Trump and U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., among others.

Organized by the Illinois-based Republican Hindu Coalition, the rally called for a higher priority on problems faced by immigrants in the United States legally, including a backlog of green card applications from holders of H1-B visas.

“The rule of law is important to them,” said former state senator Judson Hill of Marietta, one of the organizers of last week’s Indian-American fundraiser for Kemp. In his unsuccessful 2017 bid for the Sixth District congressional seat, Hill said various Indian-American groups held several fundraisers for him, at their homes and in a temple.

“If you own hotels or convenience stores or are in the health care profession, you’re impacted by government on a daily basis,” Hill said.

Foreign policy can play a role, too. Last July, businessman David Kim lost a Democratic runoff in the Seventh District congressional contest to Carolyn Bourdeaux, 52 to 48 percent.

The Seventh District is Gwinnett County-based. A 22-country explosion of immigrants is rapidly shifting its politics. Given that a significant slice of Gwinnett’s population is Asian, Kim’s status as a first-generation Korean-American was supposed to have given him a leg up.

But it might not have, he conceded this week.

Just as his nine-week runoff with Bourdeaux was taking shape, President Trump flew to Singapore for his meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Korean-Americans in the United States were transfixed at the possibility of the reunification of North and South.

“It’s an important issue for older Koreans,” Kim said. “My Mom was born during Reconstruction. And so she has relatives who are in their 80s and 90s — aunts and uncles that got separated arbitrarily during the war. There’s quite a few families that suffer from that.”

But this means that older Korean-Americans, the most likely to vote, also tilt Republican. “They definitely lean more toward hawks and hardliners when it comes to that. They feel like a conciliatory and appeasement approach — it’s just not going to work. You’re being taken advantage of,” Kim said. “In terms of what the current president has been able to accomplish, there’s a lot of credit being given to President Trump.”

Likewise, a Cold War history has made immigrants from Taiwan more conservative than those from other portions of China. Latinos, now the largest new ethic group in Gwinnett, have their fracture lines as well. Venezuelans fleeing economic disaster are likely to be more conservative than Puerto Ricans who sought refuge from Hurricane Maria, while Mexican-Americans may now be permanent residents of the Democratic camp.

Unifying these disparate groups can be demanding, regardless of political party, Kim said. The independence days celebrated by their countries of origin are convenient times to address new voters as a group — except for one problem.

“A lot of independence days are in August, coinciding with the end of World War II,” Kim said. “India and Korea both celebrate their independence days on Aug. 15.

“To be able to hit every event, if you’re trying to build a coalition amongst the immigration community — it takes an unbelievable amount of time and an unbelievable amount of money, all condensed in a very short period. That’s one of the challenges, whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat.”

But gain the loyalty of these new Georgia voters, and you may inherit their children and grandchildren, too. It will take footwork and patience, but most importantly, it requires a decent welcome mat.