The Harris campaign has launched its most extensive effort yet to reach Latino voters, including increased spending on Spanish-language radio and organizing efforts around boxing matches and baseball games as National Hispanic Heritage Month begins. Early voting is set to begin in key battleground states with large Latino populations, such as Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. Vice President Kamala Harris will address the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s annual conference, and surrogates like Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will also engage with Latino voters in swing states.
The campaign has organized events in various states, including Michigan, where Rep. Chuy Garcia will attend a Detroit Tigers Hispanic Heritage tailgate event. Mobile billboards featuring an ad called “Luchadora” will target Latino voters near the venue of a super middleweight fight in Las Vegas, highlighting Harris’ work on the border and against cartels as California state attorney general. The campaign plans to host events around Mexican Independence Day and devote $3 million to new ads on Spanish-language radio from September 15 to October 15.
In addition to in-person events, the campaign will focus on reaching undecided Latino voters, particularly those who may be influenced by Trump’s economic message. The campaign aims to ramp up its “trusted messengers” program to reach Hispanics who rely on family and friends for information that could influence their voting decisions. A “Latinos con Harris-Walz” WhatsApp channel was launched last month to counter misinformation and disinformation on the platform.
Recent polling indicates that Harris is favored by Latinos in Spanish-speaking and bilingual households at a higher rate than in English-speaking households. Nearly 60% of respondents from Spanish-speaking households said they would vote for Harris, compared to 32% for Trump. In English-dominant households, 51% supported Harris while 38% supported Trump. The survey, conducted by BSP Research, showed a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points, with a quarter of respondents taking the survey in Spanish.
Latino leaders, including Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, will participate in events in Arizona and Pennsylvania, respectively. The campaign will also focus on leveraging Hispanic Heritage Month as an opportunity to engage with Latino voters about the importance of the election and defeating Trump’s anti-Latino agenda. The campaign will also tailor its ads to sports-themed shows, with a focus on local baseball, football, and soccer team coverage.
Overall, the Harris campaign is making a significant push to engage with Latino voters, recognizing the importance of this demographic in key battleground states. By investing in Spanish-language radio ads, organizing events around culturally significant occasions, and leveraging influential surrogates, the campaign is working to mobilize Latino voters and secure their support in the upcoming election.
