Asian-Americans overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama in 2012 — 73 percent to 26 percent — so these latest poll numbers suggest a crystallization of party ID among people who perhaps already lean Democrat.

But, the partisan divides are growing and particularly obvious among young Asians, who now view the Democratic party far more favorably than the Republican party (77 percent compared to 12 percent).

This 18-34-year-old population is predominantly native-born, and research suggests early voting patterns are often a predictor of later voting behavior, so this wide disparity marks an important shift.

For years, Asians were considered a swing vote. The tendency to vote Democrat in the Asian community is a fairly recent trend. As we’ve written previously, in 1992, less than a third of Asian-Americans voted for President Bill Clinton. But, this year, a clear majority — seem to favor his wife Hillary Clinton.