Latinos in Arizona and other key battleground states are a hot commodity in this year’s high-stakes election.
Nationwide, at least 17.5 million Latinos are expected to cast a ballot in November. That voting bloc will play a decisive role in Texas, California, Florida and New York, and in the swing states of Nevada and Arizona, according to NALEO Educational Fund.
In Arizona, where Hispanics are a third of state’s population, more than 855,000 of them are expected to vote.
No wonder the battle to get them to the polls is playing out with multimillion spending of TV and digital ads and with boots on the grounds braving the scorching heat to knock on millions of doors before Nov. 5.
Nothing is being left to chance as polls consistently show that Vice President Kamala Harris remain neck-in-neck with Donald Trump, who appears to be gaining ground among Latino men.
Abortion measure, Senate race intensify outreach
The presidential race isn’t the only reason that local groups are sweating out – literally and figuratively – to turn out the vote.
Abortion-rights groups backing a ballot initiative in Arizona are courting Latinos with Spanish-language ads and going door-to-door to drum up support.
Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, who’s facing Republican Kari Lake in the U.S. Senate race, has been aggressively courting Latinos everywhere from neighborhood BBQs to packed soccer matches to hosting Spanish-speaking events and town halls.
And then, there is the army of paid workers and volunteers from a coalition that includes Mi Familia Vota, LUCHA and other groups pounding the pavement in outreach efforts.
“As an organization we’re very aggressive holding all politicians accountable,” said Héctor Sánchez Barba, the president and CEO of Mi Familia Vota. “It’s very transactional. We want leaders who can actually deliver for Latinos.”
The coalition’s goal is to knock on 3-and-a quarter-million homes in Arizona before Election Day.
I got a look at the efforts at the ground level
I recently went out with Genesis Corral and Jessie Wickersham of Mi Familia Vota who’ve spent the summer sweating it out to affect the fate and direction of the country.
Their job is brutal. The day I spent with them hit 107 degrees and I quickly became dehydrated. They, on the other hand, seemed unfazed neither by the heat nor barking dogs to knock on doors of registered voters at a west Phoenix neighborhood.
“We want to have better representation of our community,” Corral said. “Some people don’t know their rights. Some have been in this country for 20 to 30 years and are still afraid to do anything to help themselves or afraid to vote, though they can.”
Most times, people didn’t answer the door. Some opened up just enough to peek out then swiftly close it shut, but others were eager to talk with Wickersham and Corral. The two weren’t discouraged.
“When we make connections, they tend to be impactful,” Wickersham told me.
A chance to hear Latino voters’ biggest issues
President Biden won Arizona in 2020 by just over 10,000 votes. Mostly recently, the Democratic primary in the Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District between Yassamin Ansari and Raquel Terán exemplified the importance that every single vote counts.
Ansari edged out Terán by only 39 votes.
Corral and Wickersham weren’t touting any candidate or issue. When they lucked out and a voter opened the door, they started asking basic questions such as whether the resident plans to vote and how — whether by mail or in person.
During my outing with the pair, I got to hear from a few voters about issues that keep them awake at night. Surprisingly, immigration or border security wasn’t top of mind even though that is Trump’s drumbeat on the campaign trail.
They’re worried about housing affordability, good paying jobs, the cost of groceries and one said she wants better street signage in her neighborhood.
It’s hard to tell whether folks in the west Phoenix neighborhood will cast a ballot. But one thing is certain, it won’t be for lack of trying.
“I’m heartbroken. I love this country,” said a woman who identified herself as a “Dreamer,” an immigrant whose immigration status have been in limbo for years. “The fact that we’re looked at as important is so great, it’s so wonderful.”
Harris camp knows how pivotal Latinos are
By mid-September, the Harris campaign had spent some $7 million just in Spanish ads in key states, including Arizona. Trump, by comparison, reportedly spent $412,000.
Perhaps Harris needs to drop a few million dollars more to cut into Trump’s slight advantage in Arizona, based on the most recent poll.
Another poll conducted by TelevisaUnivision in Arizona and other battleground states showed Harris leading Trump 61%-35% among Latino voters.
Even if you don’t believe the polls – and yes, I’m skeptical – it’s undoubtedly true that some Latinos, especially men, are drawn to Trump.
Unlike previous Democratic candidates, the Harris campaign gets it.
She’s not only outspending Trump on ads targeting Latinos but she’s dispatching a throng of surrogates to Arizona from all walks of life — from elected officials to celebrity Hispanic chefs.
Still, any vote for Trump is a loss for Harris. And any registered voter who stay on the sidelines this election is a stab to democracy.
Nothing can be left to chance. It’s smart to court Latinos this aggressively because they not only need a nudge just like any other voter, but they have a mind of their own.
Elvia Díaz is editorial page editor for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, (formerly Twitter), @elviadiaz1.
