With less than 60 days to go until the election, Democratic presidential campaign officials are focusing on reaching key voter groups in battleground states, and Latinos are emerging as a prize that neither candidate can afford to lose. To reach them, the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has launched a new ad titled New opportunitywhich will be broadcast in Arizona and Nevada in Spanish, English and spanglishIn these two states, the Latino vote is decisive, since 25% of the electorate is Hispanic in the first and 22% in the second. The advertisements will have versions adapted for the states of Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
“With early voting about to begin and less than 60 days until Election Day, our campaign will take the Vice President’s message directly to Latino voters wherever they are: in the media, at the doorsteps, and online in Spanish, English, and also spanglish. With so much at stake in these elections, we are investing in key states and leaving everything on the ground,” said Maca Casado, communications director of the campaign.
The advertising claim focuses on the issue that most concerns the Latino community and that is highlighted in each survey: the economy. With a voice in off and a written translation of her message in Spanish, the vice president promises to lower the cost of living. More specifically, with the profile of the Hispanic public in mind, Harris promises to lower the price of insulin, a medication that is sensitive to the budget of Latinos due to the high incidence of diabetes in that community.
Harris also says she will pass the first federal legislation to ban food price increases, which is linked to the rest of the economic proposals in her program: tax cuts for 100 million citizens and the construction of three million low-cost and rental homes.
The ad has been released ahead of the most eagerly awaited meeting by voters, which will take place on Tuesday night and will be televised. The Republican candidate, Donald Trump, and the vice president will measure their strength in their first debate in Philadelphia, which millions of voters will attend live and in which Harris will be trying to convince voters that she is the best candidate to lead the country, after former candidate Joe Biden deflated Democratic hopes with his poor performance in the previous presidential debate on June 27.
Parties to watch the debate
To build on the event, the Democratic campaign has announced that more than 50 Latino parties will be held across the country, including in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas, which will be organized in Latino family homes, community spaces and small businesses.
The day after the debate, the Democratic candidates will tour key states that will include other campaign events such as rallies and community events, with additional stops to defend reproductive rights. In both Arizona and Nevada, the ballot box will also decide the future of abortion in those states. The New Way Forward tour will conclude on September 15, coinciding with the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month.
According to the latest poll by the Latino organization UnidosUS, which supports the Democratic candidate, Harris leads her Republican rival by 27 points among Hispanics (58.5% versus 32.4%). However, the same poll showed some skepticism in the community regarding their needs, as 28% do not trust that the parties will fight for them on the issues that concern them most, such as the cost of living and inflation.
Hence, the economic issue is at the forefront of Latino demands. In her first interview with a Latino media outlet, Univision, Harris referred last week to her promise to reduce the price of insulin, emphasizing that “Latinos are 70% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes.” She also referred to Latino businesses, stating that her work in recent years focused on building community banks “has resulted in Latino small businesses growing faster than ever.”
The new ad, part of the campaign’s $370 million investment, will run on television and digital platforms through Election Day, Nov. 5. “These elections are about two very different visions for Latino families and our country. Donald Trump and JD Vance want to take us backwards with the dangerous and extremist agenda of Project 2025,” Casado added. One of the perceived shortcomings of the campaign is Latinos’ lack of awareness of the proposals.
To remedy this, several progressive Latino organizations are carrying out the “Defending Our Future, Latinos Against Project 2025” campaign, which aims to reach millions of Latino voters in swing states through door-to-door canvassing, telephone banking, and social media.
Harris’ first ad targeting the Latino community highlighted Harris’ family’s immigrant background, and the campaign then decided to open the first WhatsApp channel, given the widespread use that Latinos make of the messaging platform.
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