Labor activist Dolores Huerta on Thursday formally endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
Why it matters: Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez in the early 1960s, is an influential voice among Latino voters who Harris needs to help propel her to the presidency — especially in swing states.
Zoom in: Huerta is scheduled to stump for Harris on Thursday with campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez at an event in a Phoenix neighborhood with a large Hispanic population.
- “I’ve known Kamala Harris for a long time — and I’ve seen firsthand how she fights relentlessly for Latino communities, working families, and for every American,” Huerta said in a statement.
- “Today, I’m thrilled to endorse Vice President Harris to be our next president of the United States, because I know she’ll be our fierce champion in the White House.”
Flashback: Huerta and Harris go way back to the vice president’s days in California politics.
- Huerta endorsed and campaigned with Harris when she ran for California Attorney General in 2010.
- She also endorsed Harris during her 2020 bid for president and co-chaired her campaign.
What they’re saying: “Vice President Harris has been an unwavering champion of the civil rights and labor movement her entire career, and she’s honored to earn the support of Latina civil rights leader Dolores Huerta,” Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement to Axios.
What we’re watching: Harris has a track record of turning out Latino voters in California — which has the country’s largest Hispanic population — but nationally, she’s less well-known in Latino communities.
- How her campaign engages with Latinos will be key to her bid for president.
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