The Latino electorate has taken center stage in President Joe Biden's reelection campaign, with recent polls revealing a decline in support from this crucial demographic. In response, a liberal nonprofit and its political action committee (PAC) have unveiled a strategy to invest $57 million aimed at boosting engagement among Latino voters.
The Latino advocacy group Somos Votantes and its sister organization, Somos PAC, announced their financial plan for this election cycle, describing it as their "biggest election investment to date."
Of the total amount, the organization will commit $33 million to persuade and mobilize Latino voters in support of President Joe Biden, Senate and House Democratic candidates in key states, including Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Texas. The remaining $24 million will be used to expand non-partisan voter education programs.
"Working people, including hardworking Latinos, are an ever growing political force that are keeping our economy going and will determine the outcome of this year's election," said Melissa Morales, President and Founder of Somos Votantes and Somos PAC in a statement.
About 17.5 million Latino voters are projected to participate in the upcoming election. It's about 11% of the entire electorate and a 6.5% increase compared to 2020 and almost 40% compared to 2016, according to a report by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). Overall, over 36.2 million Latinos will be eligible to vote.
Most early polls currently show a statistical tie or a narrow Trump lead for this election cycle. In 2020, Biden was leading Trump by about 6 points in the FiveThirtyEight polling averages at this point in the race, an article by NBC News recalls.
The challenge for Biden lies in bring back the electorate that left him and break the apathy of those who might support him but are not registered to vote. Latinos are the group with the largest number of people who hold an unfavorable opinion of both Biden and Donald Trump, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center.
Melissa Morales, Somos Votantes' President, told NBC News that the investment underscores the impact the Latino community "will have in races up and down the ballot" and will ensure more Latinos "participate in democracy."
"Hardworking Latinos set our economy on a path toward recovery by turning out for Democrats in 2020, 2022 and will do so again in 2024. Democrats have continued to deliver by making life more affordable, and there is still more to do to ensure that working people have the tools and opportunities we need to build a good life."
The plan will also include on-the-ground research and messaging testing across the eight states, a door-to-door canvassing effort targeting 3 million households in support of President Biden and other Democratic candidates, business and community organizing, paid relational organizing, and the collection of real-time stories from the ground.
Somos Votantes also plans to knock on over 250,000 doors of Latino households through their non-partisan voter contact program and invest $17 million in bilingual paid media outreach to reach Latino voters through a mix of TV, direct mail, digital, and radio advertising, according to their statement.
The plan adds to the Democratic investment targeting Latinos in the presidential elections, including Biden's mid-March campaign push specifically tailored to engage Latino voters, alongside Vice President Kamala Harris's strategic outreach to Latino communities in pivotal states and Puerto Rico.
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