Latino voters and leaders say they are enthusiastic about Kamala Harris as the but for her to win their crucial support, they want to know where she stands on issues like the economy, immigration and education.
Vanessa Cruz Nichols, an assistant professor of political science at Indiana University, said Harris has considerable potential to appeal to Latino voters but is going to have to win over independents and those planning not to vote in the November election.
鈥淪he鈥檚 got some work to do, reintroduce herself, let people know where she stands on a variety of issues,鈥� Cruz said. 鈥淪he will have to work aggressively to appeal to voters, especially young Latino voters who are even more nonpartisan, more willing to either sit out an election or vote for a third-party candidate.鈥�
As the nation's largest minority group 鈥� 19.5% of the total population, according to the 2020 census 鈥� Latinos form a key voting bloc in what's shaping up to be a tight presidential election. Harris, the daughter of immigrants, has won the backing of influential Latino groups, and some feel her success hinges on energizing young Latino voters.
Maria Teresa, president of , said Harris鈥� jumping into the race has sparked a 鈥渃oalescing of the community.鈥� In focus groups that the organization started after President Joe Biden announced he would drop out of the race, more than half of young Latinos who initially said they were voting for a third party said they were shifting to vote for the Democratic Party, Teresa said.
鈥淭here is no path to the White House without specifically the young Latino vote,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur path to a different direction of the country is through young people.鈥�
More than 6 in 10 Latinos voters supported Biden in 2020, according to AP VoteCast, and 35% supported former President Donald Trump. However, Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that only about 4 in 10 Latinos said they were somewhat or very optimistic about the future of the Democratic Party, and about one-quarter said the same about the Republican Party.
According to , Hispanic adults are divided in their opinions on Harris, with 44% holding a favorable view and 43% holding an unfavorable view. But about half of Hispanic adults said they would be satisfied with Harris as the Democratic nominee, up from 15% earlier in July.
After watching the presidential debate between Trump and Biden, Peruvian Mexican small-business owner Guillermo鈥疐rancisco鈥疌ornejo, 35, said he was not going to vote in the presidential election. That changed when Biden stepped down and endorsed Harris. But Cornejo's decision is mostly guided by fear of what Trump will do if he wins, he said.
鈥淣ow it鈥檚 like, yeah, for sure I will vote Democrat,鈥� said Cornejo, adding that he sees Harris as 鈥渧ery well-qualified鈥� to be commander in chief. 鈥淚f Trump gets elected, he鈥檚 turning this country into Latin America in the way he does politics and everything.鈥�
On Friday, the League of United Latin American Citizens endorsed Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, through its political arm, the LULAC Adelante PAC, the first time the country鈥檚 oldest Latino civil rights group has endorsed a presidential candidate since its founding in 1929.
鈥淲e can trust them to do what is right for our community and the country,鈥� Domingo Garcia, chairman of LULAC Adelante PAC and LULAC鈥檚 immediate past president, said in a statement. 鈥淭he politics of hate mongering and scapegoating Latinos and immigrants must be stopped!鈥�
Harris was telling migrants not to come to the U.S, when she was 鈥痙iplomatic efforts to deal with issues spurring migration in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras as well as pressing them to strengthen enforcement on their own borders.
provides a sense of representation to many Latino families, which could help her get their vote, civic engagement advocates say.
Pascale Small, 35, a Costa Rican American who is a daughter of immigrants and a single mother of three Afro-Latina girls, said Harris appeals to her because of her family鈥檚 background and her 鈥渃ommitment to ensuring that we are healing and growing as a country.鈥�
鈥淪he has a spirit of service, which I really admire and really appreciate. She has an amazing pursuit of equity and that is really important to me as I am raising my children,鈥� said Small, who wants to see the vice president address issues such as climate change, education, the economy and immigration reform.
Maca Casado, the Hispanic media director with the Harris campaign, said Harris has a record of supporting Latinos and the issues they care about, like health care and gun violence.
鈥淰ice President Harris鈥� campaign knows Latinos鈥� political power and is the only campaign working aggressively to make the case because we won鈥檛 take their votes for granted,鈥� Casado said.
But Bob Unanue, the Hispanic Leadership Coalition chairman for the America First Policy Institute said Trump 鈥� not Harris 鈥� continues to show commitment to issues that resonate with the Hispanic community such as job growth, education freedom, parental rights and securing the border.
鈥淯nlike Kamala Harris, who has failed to address the crisis at our southern border ... and continues promoting failed economic policies, Trump offers a vision of prosperity and safety that many Hispanic voters are rallying behind,鈥� Unanue said.
Experts have said Harris鈥� pick of Walz will help the campaign appeal to voters in the important battleground states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Teresa, the Voto Latino president, said in a statement that Walz has a strong record of defending democracy, voting rights and standing up for working families in Minnesota 鈥� values that align with those of the Latino community. Harris also has an opportunity to make her case in states like Pennsylvania with a large Puerto Rican population, which as U.S. citizens can vote once they move to a state, Teresa said.
Charlotte Castillo, managing director of , a nonprofit organization focused on increasing civic participation by Latinas, said the announcement that Harris would be the Democratic nominee energized so many in the Latino community, which will be critical as in previous elections.
鈥淚 think in particular Latinas, typically we like to say, are the CEOs of their families. They are really driving the decisions for their families and have a huge influence on that,鈥� Castillo said. 鈥淪o, I certainly think that Latinas have the potential to make a real outsized impact.鈥�
Castillo said whichever party is consistent in their outreach to Latino voters will get their vote.
鈥淥nce the community is engaged, they remain engaged,鈥� Castillo said. 鈥淏oth parties need to start knocking on doors and doing it more consistently.鈥�
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AP polling editor Amelia Thomson DeVeaux in Washington, D.C., contributed.
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Fernanda Figueroa, The Associated Press
