President Joe Biden began a three-day tour across the Sun Belt on March 19 to champion his policies in a bid to win over Latino voters, a crucial demographic that is increasingly shifting to the Republican Party.
The president is expected to promote his economic policies while continuing to criticize former President Donald Trump on crucial topics, including immigration and abortion, during his Western swing, which includes stops in Nevada, Arizona, and Texas.
The Biden campaign announced a new program called “Latinos con Biden–Harris” (“Latinos with Biden–Harris”) ahead of the trip to mobilize Latino communities nationwide.
President Biden is expected to officially kick off the program during his trip to Arizona.
The Biden campaign has also rolled out a new ad specifically targeting the Latino community as part of its $30 million six-week ad buy in swing states.
“The ad, which will run in English, Spanish, and Spanglish—with regional accents across battleground states—underscores the stark choice facing Latinos at the ballot box, from the price of insulin to the freedom for women to make their own health care decisions,” the Biden campaign stated.
As part of the effort, President Biden also gave two interviews to the Spanish-language networks promoting his stance on immigration.
“We are a nation of immigrants. That’s who we are, from my Irish ancestors to your Hispanic ancestors,” President Biden told Nueva Network.
“What we might want to do is allow them to continue to come into the country in an orderly way. ... And what Republicans are trying to do is block all that.”
And during another interview with Univision, President Biden defended the bipartisan border bill recently negotiated in the Senate. He blamed President Trump and Republicans in Congress for derailing the bill he was hoping to sign into law.
“Look, what it does, it accelerates the asylum process, increases work permits, secures the border, and it’s the toughest and fairest reform ever,” President Biden said.
Latino Voters Hit Record High
An estimated 36.2 million Latinos will be eligible to vote this year, a new record, according to a recent study by the Pew Research Center.Since the previous presidential election, the population of Latinos has grown by 12 percent, the second-fastest rate of any major racial or ethnic group in the U.S. electorate, the study showed.
A majority of Latino voters (59 percent) voted for Joe Biden in 2020. They played a key role in determining the outcome of races in several swing states.
In Arizona and Nevada, Latinos account for 25 percent and 22 percent of eligible voters, respectively.
Latinos are likely to account for nearly 15 percent of all eligible voters nationwide in November 2024, playing a critical role in an anticipated Biden–Trump rematch.
Ernesto Castaneda, sociology professor and director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University, said Hispanics feel the same way as other Americans on the nation’s most pressing issues.
“Hispanics, like other Americans, are most interested in a stable and strong economy, well-paid employment, high-quality public schools, affordable housing, and daycare options,” Mr. Castaneda told The Epoch Times.
“Many are also worried about the military coups and dictatorships that they have seen in other parts of the world and want to protect democracy in America.”
Recent polls showed that support for President Biden and the Democratic Party is decreasing among Hispanic voters.
The recent trend raised alarm for the Biden campaign, as Hispanics have historically favored Democrats and played an important role in several battleground states.
“In Las Vegas, the President will double down on his plan to lower housing costs for American families,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on March 19 aboard Air Force One.
She said that the Biden administration has taken actions to lower housing costs, including reducing mortgage insurance premiums, expanding rental assistance, and building affordable housing units.
“The other guy wants to gut affordable housing,” President Biden said during his interview with Nueva Network, referring to his predecessor.
The American Rescue Plan has provided $1 billion for Nevada to help lower housing costs, according to the White House.
During his trip, the president is also expected to attend a few campaign fundraising events.
The Biden campaign announced last weekend that it raised more than $53 million in February, with much of the money coming from grassroots donors. The campaign currently has access to more than $155 million in cash.
