On Saturday, second gentleman Douglas Emhoff visited central Wisconsin for a Hmong community festival that he planned to attend long before his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, assumed the mantle of the Democrat nominee for president. However, the timing of Emhoff’s visit coincided with Harris’ efforts to target Asian voters, particularly within the Hmong community. This led to some tension at the event, as many attendees felt that Emhoff’s presence disrupted their cultural celebration.
Republican state senator Cory Tomczyk told The Post that those he spoke with in the Hmong community were not pleased with the chaos and campaign paraphernalia brought to the festival by Emhoff and his team. This resulted in long lines and frustrated attendees, who eventually pushed past security when they were unable to enter the event due to the large number of people trying to get in.
In addition to causing chaos at the festival, some attendees found Emhoff’s visit to be in poor taste, as it overshadowed the cultural aspects of the event with political campaigning. GOP Rep. Tom Tiffany expressed his disappointment with Emhoff’s actions, saying that if the Biden-Harris administration truly cared about the Hmong community, they would focus on addressing issues such as inflation, energy costs, border security, and the threat posed by communist China.
Despite the negative reactions from some attendees, Emhoff continued to pander to those in attendance, urging them to recognize their potential influence on the election and emphasizing that they have “the power right here.” Governor Tony Evers (D-Wis.) and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) were also present at the festival.
Harris’ interest in courting the Hmong vote is not surprising, given that there are approximately 60,000 Hmong residents in Wisconsin, accounting for about 1% of the state’s population. Additionally, central Wisconsin is not a stronghold for Democrats, as evidenced by Trump’s victory in Marathon County in both the 2016 and 2020 elections.
In an attempt to reach out to this demographic, Republicans have also made efforts to build relationships with the Hmong community. Former Republican Gov. Scott Walker attended the first Hmong Wausau Festival in 2017, and a Republican-led initiative designated May 14 as Hmong-Lao Veterans Day in Wisconsin in 2021.
This year marked the first time there was a Republican outreach booth at the festival, which Tomczyk said was “very well received.” He also reported that all ten Trump yard signs he brought to the event were taken by attendees.
The Hmong community in Wisconsin is diverse, with some members favoring Republican policies related to business and entrepreneurship, while others lean towards Democratic social policies. In 2020, the Trump administration faced backlash for considering deportations of non-citizen and criminal Hmong and Lao residents back to communist Laos.
In an effort to promote understanding and inclusivity, Governor Tony Evers signed a bill into law in April that mandates the teaching of Hmong and Asian American history in public schools, alongside other minority histories such as American Indian, Black, and Hispanic histories.
