Harris Targets Hispanic Voters With Swing States in Balance
(Bloomberg) -- Kamala Harris turned her focus to Hispanic voters as she looked to shore up support among one of the Democratic Party’s key blocs, a group with sizable populations in critical swing states and among whom Republican rival Donald Trump has made inroads.
Most Read from Bloomberg
California’s Anti-Speeding Bill Can Be a Traffic Safety Breakthrough
New York City’s Transit System Plans $65.4 Billion of Upgrades for Grand Central, Subways
“Our nation is counting on the leaders here, your power, your activism,” Harris said in an address to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute conference in Washington on Wednesday, highlighting the importance of Hispanic turnout in a closely contested presidential race.
Harris also used the address to assail Trump over his immigration policies, including his vow to carry out large-scale deportations if he is returned to power, addressing an important issue for Hispanic voters.
“They have pledged to carry out the largest deportation, a mass deportation in American history. Imagine what that would look like and what that would be,” Harris said. “How’s that going to happen? Massive raids, massive detention camps. What are they talking about?”
Harris said the US needed to reform its immigration policies, but could do so in a way that both provided a pathway to citizenship for people already in the country and secured US borders.
The vice president’s personal outreach comes as her campaign is amplifying its messaging to the Latino community, an effort coinciding with the start of Hispanic Heritage Month on Sept. 15 and highlighting the importance of a demographic whose ranks are growing and were crucial to Democrats winning the White House in 2020.
President Joe Biden is slated to speak at an awards dinner for the group on Thursday. Earlier this week, Harris also sat for an interview with a Hispanic radio host.
According to the Pew Research Center, the number of Latinos eligible to vote grew to an estimated 36.2 million this year up from 32.3 million in 2020. In swing-state Nevada, Latinos account for 22% of eligible voters according to Pew, and 25% in Arizona, another battleground.
“More Latinos are going to cast a ballot in 2024 than ever before,” said Sonja Diaz, co-founder of Latina Futures 2050 Lab.
Campaign Outreach
Since Labor Day, Harris’ campaign has earmarked $3.2 million for Spanish language television and radio, about 16 times more than Trump’s campaign has spent, according to AdImpact.
Two super political action committees that support Harris, Somos PAC and Future Forward, are running $4.3 million worth of ads through the election. The blitz currently includes a spot that contrasts the biographies of the two candidates, and celebrates Harris as the daughter of immigrants.
Right For America, a super PAC that backs Trump, has booked a little less than $525,000 on Hispanic stations, but hasn’t run any ads on those outlets in September. The main themes of the group’s broadcast and digital ads for English speakers are the border and inflation — defining issues for voters.
Overall, groups are set to spend $9.5 million on Hispanic media, with most of the spending going to Arizona and Nevada.
The Harris campaign also recently launched the “Latinos con Harris-Walz” WhatsApp channel to reach voters through a messaging app popular with Hispanics.
And the campaign recently brought on consultants to aid in their efforts, including Alida Garcia, who served as a senior adviser on migration in the Biden White House; Jorge Neri, who worked under President Barack Obama on Latino outreach; Nathaly Arriola Maurice, another Biden White House alumnus; and Jess Morales Rocketto, a veteran of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
On Tuesday, Voto Latino, a nonprofit organization, said that since Harris’ entry into the race it had seen a surge in Hispanic voter registration.
Polling Gains
The campaign cash and attention come at a critical time with less than 50 days until Election Day and early voting getting underway this month in some states.
Polls show Harris has improved over Biden among Hispanics as the new Democratic nominee, but the support Trump still retains could tip states such as Nevada and Arizona.
A Pew Research Center poll released in September finds Harris up 57% to 39% with Latinos — a shift from July when the survey found support divided evenly between Biden and Trump.
Biden carried 65% of the Latino vote in 2020 to Trump’s 32%, according to exit polls, support which the former president’s campaign has worked to expand.
“The Republican Party, over the last two cycles, 2020 and 2024, have made significant investments in Latino voters in key districts,” Diaz said.
Trump in August sat for an interview with Spanish-language outlet Univision and has held rallies in Black and Latino communities, including in the South Bronx, as well as attending a UFC fight, part of a series of unorthodox appearances focused on broadening his electoral appeal.
“The Trump campaign is engaging in both traditional and non-traditional outreach, including events and rallies, direct voter contact through door-to-door canvassing, phone banking, and festivals and parades alongside the Latino Americans for Trump coalition,” Vianca Rodriguez, Hispanic communications deputy director for the Trump campaign, said in a statement.
Economic Agenda
Still, Trump’s outreach threatens to be undercut by his stance on immigration, which he has made a centerpiece of his campaign, vowing to finish the border wall and carry out a massive deportation of undocumented migrants. He also helped sink the bipartisan measure that would have provided resources for the border, denying Biden a political victory.
A UnidosUS poll found immigration an important issue for Hispanic voters, but below economic concerns and health care, with respondents favoring a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and showing “minimal support for any deportation plan.”
The former president’s campaign though has been bolstered by broad voter discontent over the Biden administration’s handling of the economy. Latino voters in the UnidosUS poll listed inflation, jobs and high costs for housing their top priorities.
In her Wednesday address, Harris highlighted policy proposals aimed to bring down costs for US households.
“Immigration is important. But it’s like number six right now in issues,” said Representative Delia Ramírez, an Illinois Democrat, pointing out that the focus should be on the economy.
“For Latinos — economy — being able to purchase a home and give it to our children, and our opportunity to be able to have a business is equally important,” Ramírez said. “Just like any other American.”
--With assistance from Stephanie Lai and Bill Allison.
(Updates with Harris remarks throughout)
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
