FILIPINO Americans for Harris Walz (FAFHW) is riding a wave of enthusiasm following Vice President Kamala Harris’s commanding performance in Tuesday’s (September 10) Presidential Debate against former President Donald Trump.
The debate energized Filipino American voters nationwide and across the Pacific Ocean, with over 100 attendees joining virtual and in-person watch parties in cities such as Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and in Guam. As the community rallies behind Vice President Harris, FAFHW is excited to announce the launch of several key mobilization efforts aimed at engaging voters in critical battleground states.
In-person watch parties were co-hosted by local organizations, including the Hubert H. Humphrey Democratic Club and Pilipino American Los Angeles Democrats in Los Angeles, the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce Greater Nevada in Las Vegas, and the Filipino American Democratic Club of New York in New York City. These gatherings not only celebrated Harris’s debate performance, but also underscored the commitment of the Filipino American community to take action in the weeks ahead.
Gabriel Young, FAFHW West Region volunteer, former White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) aide, and current MPA candidate at UC Berkeley, stated in a televised post-debate interview, the strength of Vice President Harris’s policy approach: “She beat President Trump on the policy front — she had concrete plans. Even just today, the Harris Walz Campaign released their AANHPI fact sheet, yet Trump’s campaign has not. Vice President Harris introduced actual policies backed by numbers. In her closing statement, she made it clear: ‘We’re not going back.’ We’ve already seen what a Trump administration looks like — why would we choose to repeat it? Vice President Harris is focused on building an economy that creates opportunity and hope for the American people, while Trump offered nothing original, only hollow rebuttals.”
Building on the momentum from Harris’s debate performance, FAFHW is now gearing up to expand its grassroots efforts and mobilize voters across the country. Several field operations are launching this week as part of the broader campaign strategy. The East Region, led by Co-Chairs Enzo Manzano and Brad Baldia, were scheduled to kick off virtual phone banking on Thursday, September 12 to reach voters in Pennsylvania, while next week will see the launch of operations in North Carolina.
Meanwhile, in the Midwest, Regional Chair Abbey Eusebio is partnering with “Operation Swing State” to mobilize volunteers for phone banking and canvassing in Michigan and Wisconsin. The West Region, co-chaired by Chris Mateo and Hon. Juslyn Manalo, is focusing on border state programming with Nevada and Arizona with grassroots efforts across one of the largest Filipino American communities in the country.
In addition to voter engagement, FAFHW East Region has announced a fundraiser concert scheduled for October 4, in partnership with the Filipino American Democratic Club of New York and Taiwanese Americans for Progress. The event will feature performances by Taiwanese American singer/songwriter Vienna Tengand, Filipino American Broadway talents Renee Albulario (Here Lies Love), Emily Borromeo (School of Rock), and Liz Casasola (Imelda). The concert aims to support efforts to elect Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz to the White House, as well as re-elect State Senator Iwen Chu, the first Asian American woman, and Assemblymember Steven Raga, the first Filipino American elected to the New York State Legislature. FAFHW is committed to not only electing leaders at the national level but also supporting local candidates who share the values of inclusivity and progress.
In the DNC AANHPI Virtual Spin Room post-debate, Mario Salazar, FAFHW National co-chair, encouraged supporters to stay focused on the work ahead: “Vice President Harris articulated a tangible plan for small business owners, students, families, and all those chasing their versions of the American dream — like us, our parents, and so many others in the AANHPI community. It was a stark contrast to the same tired, divisive, hateful rhetoric from former President Trump. Now, in the same way the vice president said we should put Trump and his failed administration behind us — we as a campaign should put the debate behind us and hit the doors and phones over the next few weeks to get the Harris-Walz ticket across the finish line.”
With an energized volunteer base and critical voter engagement efforts underway, Filipino Americans for Harris Walz are fully committed to turning out voters and securing a Harris Walz victory in November. The excitement and energy generated by the September 12 debate are driving the campaign forward into action. All volunteer activities, upcoming events, and registration details can be found on FAFHW’s Linktree (https://
