Edmund Lieu, a longtime Democrat, has turned to Donald Trump after months of bickering over a confrontation in the street.

When Liu first immigrated to the United States from China, he was drawn to the Democratic Party because he thought it was immigration-friendly.

But after living for more than a decade in Arcadia, an affluent suburb at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains with many Asian immigrants, he began to question his loyalties. The cost of celebratory dinners with extended family often approached four figures, and his salary as a software engineer wasn’t growing as much as it used to.

Then, about a week before the Nov. 5 election, people wearing black hoodies ran out of a used luxury store at the Westfield Santa Anita shopping mall, clutching handbags, and security guards passively filmed them. I saw a video of it on social media.

“It’s about a five-minute drive from my house and a one-minute drive from the police station,” said Liu, 55. “I thought, ‘That’s ridiculous.’ I thought, ‘Okay, I’ve made up my mind, that’s it.’ ” said Liu, 55.

This year, Mr. Liu’s political shift was common among Asian American voters in the Arcadia and Temple City areas, both of which have large Asian populations. Many expressed despair over the direction of the country over the past four years, citing crime, the economy and illegal immigration as reasons to give Trump a chance.

Both regions remain blue, but Mr. Trump now has a better lead than he did four years ago. In the Arcadia region, Kamala Harris won 54% of the vote this year after Joe Biden won 60% in 2020. Trump’s share increased from 39% to 43%.

In the neighboring Temple City area, the numbers were similar, with Harris at 53% this year, compared to 60% for Biden in 2020.

Arcadia Mayor Michael CaoHe had expected to defect from the Democratic Party after repeatedly hearing angry voices from voters over knock-downs, food prices and other issues that part-time suburban politicians are ill-equipped to address.

“They felt like no one was listening and they felt like they needed to make a change,” said Cao, who is not registered with a political party and declined to say how he voted. Ta.

Asian American voting trends in the Arcadia and Temple City areas mirrored national patterns. According to exit polla majority of Asian Americans supported Vice President Harris, but there was a shift to the right. An NBC News poll found 39% of Asian Americans voted for Trump this year, an increase of 5 points from 2020.

Experts said that, like other demographic groups, concerns about inflation, crime and immigration are likely accelerating the rightward shift among Asian American voters.

james zarzadias Associate Professor in history from the University of San Francisco, said some voters are also likely responding to rising anti-Asian sentiment during the pandemic.

“Republicans were able to capitalize on those fears and say, ‘Hey, we’re the party of law and order,'” said Zarsadías, who is writing a book about Asian American conservatism. . “It’s just the perfect storm to make some Asian American voters reconsider their loyalty to the Democratic Party.”

Karthik Ramakrishnan, Founder AAPI data A professor at the Center for Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, said that while Trump has gained more support among Asian Americans, that support is thin and could disappear by the next election. He pointed out that there is.

“Is this change a one-off punishment for issues such as economic performance or even crime, or is it a sign of a more permanent shift in opinion?” he said.

With a top-rated school district and a mix of recently built mini-apartments and more modest housing stock, Arcadia has long attracted wealthy Asian immigrants, particularly those from China. Temple City and Temple City’s main thoroughfares are lined with Asian supermarkets and shopping malls that sell local Chinese cuisine.

Voters in Arcadia, a city that is 57% Asian, elected a new city council member on November 5th. david fu Council members say this is likely the first time in California that the council will be entirely Asian American.

Eileen Wang, the first Chinese-American woman to serve on the City Council, said she was drawn to Arcadia nearly 20 years ago after hearing excellent reviews about the school system and wanting to provide the best education for her two sons. He said it was because he wanted them to receive it.

Wang, who was born in China, has noticed that some residents have shifted to the right in recent years. Part of that is due to viral videos like this: October Smash and Grab.

“Social media, YouTube, TikTok, it’s everywhere,” she said.

However, Mr. Wang took a turn in the opposite direction. After voting for Republican presidential candidates in the past, she voted for Harris this year because she was impressed by the Democratic Party’s stance on affordable housing and rental assistance as Arcadia residents battle rising housing costs.

Arcadia Police Department and Temple Sheriff Department Statistics show Overall crime is increasing Arcadia It’s been since 2020, but it’s down in Temple City.

Some voters said the president’s influence on crime rates was limited, but many said they wanted a president who spoke tough on crime. An influx of migrants crossing the border is also looming here, with nearby Monterey Park a major destination for migrants from China.

Jeff Chan, 52, an insurance broker whose family immigrated to the United States from Taiwan in the 1980s, said the recent smash and grab helped sway his vote.

“When did it become okay?” said Chan, who has lived in Arcadia since 2007. “There’s no way it’s okay.”

This year, Chan voted Republican for the first time. He said he doesn’t always agree with Trump’s statements, but believes he is better able to deal with crime and illegal immigration.

Nina Chen, a manager at Arcadia Chinese Restaurant and a former Obama vote, supported Trump this year, hoping he would jolt the economy and bring back lunch crowds. he said.

She sometimes visits nearby strip malls to compare the performance of her restaurant, Tang Gong.

“The restaurant is very slow, isn’t it?” she said, gesturing to the cavernous dining room dotted with several families having lunch. “I’ll wait for next year, I’ll wait” [Trump] To make it better. ”

Susan Guo, president of the Arcadia Chinese Association, immigrated to the United States from China in the mid-1990s and landed at Arcadia because of the school district and family-friendly environment. She said President Trump’s calling the coronavirus the “Chinese virus” was initially a “huge backlash” for many Chinese residents.

However, Mr. Guo did not say which candidate he voted for, but many have heard that Elon Musk, a tech billionaire with a large Tesla manufacturing factory in Shanghai, has been elevated to Mr. Trump’s inner circle. He said it helped contain the vote.

“Elon Musk has invested a lot in China and is very pro-China,” he said, adding that he believed Musk would be a “positive influence” on President Trump.

Grace Liu, 60, who runs an international trading company, believes that Trump, as a successful businessman, can turn the country around, especially with Musk by his side.

“No one can match Mr. Trump’s problem-solving ability,” Liu said in Chinese.

Liu, who came to the U.S. from Shanghai and has lived in Arcadia for more than 20 years, said she was motivated to vote for the first time because the U.S. has become a “complete mess” over the past four years. From the world to public safety issues to national borders.

“Why did we come to America? The most important thing is freedom,” she said. “If it’s too dangerous, how can we get freedom?”

Suki Hsieh also voted for the first time, voting at the Arcadia Public Library on Election Day with her parents, brother and sister-in-law.

All were first-time voters and voted for Trump, said Xie, a 36-year-old dried fish and seafood business from the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

Hsieh is concerned about crimes such as the purse-snatching incident at the Santa Anita shopping mall and the break-in at a friend’s business.

“I have lived in the United States for many years, but I have never felt afraid to leave my house at night,” she said in Mandarin.

Although Xie welcomes more Chinese people to join the local community, she is concerned about immigrants flocking to Monterey Park’s Fatty Dinh strip mall in search of work, and that local residents He said it was unfair as it could cost people their jobs. Those who waited more than 10 years to legally immigrate.

Inflation is also out of control, with prices for food, gas and other necessities suddenly rising, Xie said.

“We are talking to a lot of our friends and hope that if we change the president and change the political party, we can see if a new way of governing can change this society,” she said.

Times staff writer Cindy Chan contributed to this report.