This set of photos shows Vice President Kamala Harris (left) on August 7, 2024, and Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump on July 31, 2024.
Associated Press
former president Donald Trump and vice president Kamala Harris Campaigning took place across southwestern states this week in an attempt to shore up Latino vote distance election day.
Latino voters make up 14.7% of all eligible voters in the upcoming election, according to the data pew research center. New Mexico, where Trump is campaigning on Thursday, has the highest proportion of Latino voters, about 45% of the population. States with the second largest share of Latino voters include California, Texas, Arizona and Nevada. While California is reliably blue and Texas is reliably red, Arizona and Nevada, where Harris held rallies, are battlegrounds swing states.
While Democrats tend to have a historical advantage among Latino voters, that advantage has declined over the past four presidential cycles, according to national surveys. NBC News/Telemundo/CNBC Poll Starting in September, especially with Trump in Latino men. Experts believe that one of the important reasons behind this is the inflation and cost of living crisis. On these two issues, voters tend to trust Trump more than Harris.
“So the reason I’m here is simple. I like you guys very much and it’s good for my credibility in the Hispanic or Latino community,” Trump told the crowd in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Thursday before asking them not to Letting him do that “wasted half a day here.”
The state leans blue; President Joe Biden won by 10.8 points in 2020 and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won by 8.3 points in 2016.
“We almost won both times, let me tell you, I believe we won both times,” Trump said of the 2020 and 2016 presidential election results in New Mexico.
“One of the biggest reasons we won this state is that it has the worst border problem of any state in the country, and I’m the only one who knows how to fix it,” Trump said.
But the Trump campaign also found itself embroiled in a controversy last week that could undermine his support among Latino voters when the comedian Tony Hinchcliffe Racist remarks targeting Latinos at Trump’s home Madison Square Garden Rally.
Hinchcliffe jokes Latinos ‘love having kids’, calls Puerto Rico “Trash floating island.” While campaign officials were quick to distance themselves from Trump’s comments, the former president himself has yet to personally apologize for them.
U.S. President Trump arrives at the Arizona Grand Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Arizona, on September 14, 2020, to hold a roundtable rally with Latino supporters.
Brendan Smirovsky | AFP | Getty Images
Although Trump’s speech in New Mexico focused on immigration and border security, a recent CNBC poll ranked the issue as the fourth most important area of concern for Latino voters, well behind inflation, jobs and concerns about democracy threats. Even so, polls show that more Latinos believe immigrants help the country more than they hurt it. But this proportion is the smallest since 2006.
Meanwhile, Harris held three rallies in Phoenix, Arizona, Reno, Nevada, and Las Vegas, delivering economic speeches to voters while also attacking Trump’s stance on immigration.
“With five days left in the campaign, my opponent is also going to make his closing argument to America. This is an argument filled with hate and division,” Harris told the crowd in Phoenix. “He’s insulting Latinos and scapegoating immigrants, and that’s not just what he says, it’s what he’s going to do if he’s elected. You can bet he’s going to bring back family separation, just on a bigger scale than last time.”
Democratic presidential candidates U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Jennifer Lopez attend a campaign rally in North Las Vegas, Nevada, the United States, October 31, 2024.
David Swanson | Reuters
On Thursday, Harris also had Latino musicians in her honor, most notably Las Vegas, Nevada, singer Jennifer Lopez. Lopez emphasized her Puerto Rican roots when introducing the vice president and appealed to immigrant and Latino voters.
“(Trump) has always worked to divide us. At Madison Square Garden, he reminded us who he really is and how he really feels,” Lopez said. “It wasn’t just Puerto Ricans who were offended that day, it was every Latino in this country.”
As Nov. 5 approaches, both campaigns are ramping up their outreach to Latino voters. Last week, Trump hosted a Roundtable Meet with Latino business leaders in Florida while Telemundo A pre-taped interview with Harris aired.
