National Origin Identity and Descriptive Representativeness: Understanding Preferences for Asian Candidates and Representation.

This article investigates how the national origin backgrounds of Asian American political candidates influence perceptions of their ability to represent Asian American interests. Through two survey experiments involving real and hypothetical politicians, the study finds that East and Southeast Asian candidates are generally perceived as more representative of Asian Americans than South Asian candidates. Nonetheless, respondents agree that any Asian candidate, regardless of specific national origin, is viewed as more representative of Asian Americans than a non-Asian candidate, indicating a potential electoral advantage based on shared panethnicity. The findings highlight the complexity of Asian American political identity, shaped by both panethnic solidarity and significant within-group variation tied to national origin, with implications for political mobilization and descriptive representation.