In Alexandria City County, Virginia, the majority of people voted for Democrats in the last presidential election. A new type of suburbanization is sweeping politics across the United States, and Democrats are starting to break through Republican firewalls in elections. This undulating stretch of green in Northern Virginia was once farmland, but now it is filled with row after row of terraced houses, cropped lawns and dead ends. The influx of immigrants and their descendants has changed the political landscape, and Democrats are gaining more influence.
Even more surprising is the number of Asians now running for public office. On Thursday, in Centreville, many people said that President Trump was the reason they voted this week. The new type of suburbanization is spreading through politics from Richmond to Atlanta, Houston, Denver and elsewhere. The densely populated inner ring suburbs are turning blue, while the mostly white, exurban outer ring is redder than ever.
Elections are won and lost along that suburban line and in some places like Atlanta, Denver and Riverside County, California, Democrats have started to break through Republican firewalls. But in other cities like Charlotte, Indianapolis and St. Louis, the Republican advantage in outlying areas offset the gains Democrats made in the most densely populated neighborhoods. The influx of immigrants and their descendants has changed the political landscape in Virginia.
In 1980, 56 percent of adults eligible to vote in Virginia were born in the state. Today, that has dropped to 45 percent. Of the 10 metropolitan areas that had the highest growth in South Asia, five are in the south. Their growing numbers have given Indian Americans new political influence.
The Virginia Directory of Grassroots Political Organizations is a resource for helping groups with their work. In the same place are Scott Howell, an ad creator based in Dallas, and political consultant Blaise Hazelwood, former political director of the Republican National Committee. The current political party in power in Alexandria City County is Democratic. This is due to a combination of factors such as a shift in suburbanization trends across the United States and an influx of immigrants and their descendants who have changed the political landscape.
This has resulted in a higher number of Democrats being elected into office as well as Indian Americans gaining more political influence. The Virginia Directory of Grassroots Political Organizations provides resources for groups to help them with their work.
