At conservative Latinos The LIBRE InitiativeA Hispanic center-right organization is calling on Democrats and Republicans to distance themselves from the progressive and hard-right factions of their respective political parties in order to gain ground with Latino voters in battleground states.
“We just want to focus on making sure each side doesn’t go to extremes, one to the right and the other to extremes with this kind of progressive agenda and big government growth,” said Daniel Garza, president of LIBRE. about the memo, first obtained by NBC News what the group sees as challenges and opportunities for Democrats and Republicans seeking to attract Latino voters in states that could help decide presidential elections, such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Wisconsin.
Memorandum Basically, he calls on Democrats to “become more centrist, especially on issues related to immigration and the economy.” 10 issues Latinos are most concerned aboutthat is why.
On immigration, LIBRE believes that “Republicans should work with Democrats to develop a legislative amendment that not only strengthens border security, but also facilitates and improves legal immigration to the United States,” the memo said.
But after Republicans rejected a bipartisan Senate panel’s tough border bill that included the GOP-requested measures, Mike Madrid, a Latino Republican political consultant, pointed to X on Monday, “Republicans don’t want to fix the border situation. THEY HAVE IT.”
LIBRE, a Koch network the organization has historically promoted more free market policies. The network, founded by the Republican megadonor Koch family, was earlier He clashed with Donald Trump and also have poured money included He opposes the agenda of President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.
The organization argues that Democrats have struggled to connect with Latino voters on economic issues, who have been hit hard by inflation, the high cost of living and stagnant wages, which has subsequently fueled voter disillusionment.
The group also said Republicans need to do a better job of selling “pro-growth economic policies” to the American electorate and, by extension, Latinos, “instead of focusing on theater, including spending political capital going after political enemies.” for the memo. He also urges them to “take risks and challenge members of their own political party.”
The memo notes that issues of “crime, divisive social policies, and reflexive and intractable opposition to educational freedom” have made some Latino voters skeptical of Democrats who support clean energy investments, easing restrictions on abortion, and related policies. Transgender issues according to Garza.
However, the memo doesn’t dispute or elaborate on how ultraconservative Republicans on the right wing of the party — almost certainly focusing on more divisive issues like abortion bans and anti-LGBTQ policies — can influence Latino voters. sign.
He also does not challenge or condemn Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, for his divisive language, including about immigrants and migrants. “they poison the blood” of the country or his language attacking individual judges and prosecutors.
Geraldo Cadavaprofessor of history Northwestern University and is the author of the book “The Hispanic Republican: The Formation of American Political Identity from Nixon to Trump” he said he doubted that would be a winning strategy for either party.
“We saw how difficult it was to pierce all the impurities,” he said. “Is it a reasonable move to try to appeal to all Latinos based on a relatively conservative economic message?”
“Latin Americans always say that the economy is what they care about the most, and that means jobs and the ability to take care of their families… I don’t know, maybe that’s his best game,” Jadava said. LIBRE management.
According to LIBRE, Latino voters could be instrumental in deciding races won by razor-thin margins in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Wisconsin.
The influence of Hispanic voters in Miami-Dade, Florida’s most populous county, helped Republicans flip a traditionally Democratic county in the 2022 midterm elections. Miami-Dade is home to 1.5 million Latino citizens of voting age.
Since then, many of the Miami Republican candidates have strategically aligned themselves with Trump, adopting his policies and some of his extreme rhetoric to win Florida. Republican moves with the state’s Latino voters helped push Florida out of its former state status and into a Republican stronghold.
Armando Ibarra, chairman of the Miami Young Republicans group recently endorsed Trump’s 2024 presidential campaignMost Latinos in the county, who come from progressive backgrounds, “see the Republican Party as the party that’s trying to push that limit,” he told NBC News.
“Most Hispanics and Latinos feel that most of the efforts to change society in ways they don’t agree with are coming from the left,” he said, adding that the organization has contributed to a shift in Republican focus on elections in South Florida. More than 30 young republicans took office in the region and engaging nearly 50,000 of them in calls to action and events throughout the year, not just for elections.
“We’re finding that Hispanic and Latino voters, especially in a city that’s growing fast like this, are really sensitive to the leadership of the next generation,” Ibarra said.
Asked how best to convince Republicans who embrace Trump and some of the extreme rhetoric LIBRE recommends, Garza said, “all we can do is try to get people to have a dialogue.”
Jadava said that part of the reason some are skeptical of this strategy is because of how “clumsy and jaded” we are.
“We expect the worst from politics and are a little surprised when something good happens,” he said.