In some races, even a comparatively small group can cast the key votes. In Virginia's 2006 Senate contest, Republican George Allen referred to an Indian-American as a "macaca" and the resulting outrage among Asians helped propel Democrat Jim Webb's come-from-behind victory. Webb won by 7,231 votes.
"Parties are hesitant to invest in communities where party loyalty is not fixed," said David Lee, who teaches political science at San Francisco State University, and heads the Chinese-American Voters Education Committee. "But if you don't spend the money, if you don't invest in Asian voters, why should they be loyal?"
Soetoro-Ng, and her husband, Konrad Ng, a professor at the University of Hawaii, are already doing some of that work.
Ng blogs on the Obama campaign's Web site, and Soetoro-Ng will continue to take time from her teaching throughout the fall to make phone calls to house parties, radio appearances, and other outreach for her brother, she said.
"My brother is very interested in reaching out to communities," including Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, she said. "You're going to see a lot of new reaching out. It will be more deliberate."
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