Fresh off a swing in western states, Vice President Kamala Harris told NBC News that while Latino voters may not be feeling the surge yet, they have reasons to be optimistic about the economy and jobs.
Harris’ trip to Arizona, Nevada and Colorado was aimed at hitting home for President Joe Biden. Union status message Engage with and strengthen the support of Latino voters.
The vice president, who met with Hispanic supporters last week and earlier this week, said wages are outpacing inflation and inflation is on the way down. He emphasized the creation of millions of jobs and the low level of unemployment. including among the Spanish.
“The numbers show us that the economy is stronger than it has been in a very long time … it will take time for those gains to be felt,” he said in a phone interview on Wednesday.
Harris touted policies from the Biden administration that he said benefit Latino families. including a prescription drug caps and insulin prices for the elderly, which directly affected Latinos, 70% more ones Diagnosed with diabetes than non-Hispanic whites.
He noted that of management mheagain more $1 billion in student loan debt forgiveness helped many first-generation students, including Latinosand investing in community banks increased Latino lending small businesses.
Harris said, “Our challenge is to let people know who brought it.”
But the campaign faces an uphill battle to convince Latino voters they’ve seen better economic times. In recent years, many Latino and Black households hthey spent a larger share of their household budgets on goods where inflation is highest, such as food and rent. This comes after several years of job and revenue losses when the Covid pandemic forced businesses to close.
Moment NBC News survey A late January poll put Biden’s approval rating at just 35% among Latino registered voters. Biden and former President Donald Trump were tied among Latino voters who were asked who they would vote for in a rematch (Trump 42% to Biden 41%).
In 2020, Biden won 65% of Latinos, compared to 32% for Trump.
Economy and jobs A December survey of more than 3,000 eligible Latino voters by the advocacy group UnidosUS listed their top concerns.
Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, said that “the economy is the most important thing” this election cycle, not just what the polls show, but “what I see and what I see.” I hear it and people react to it.”
In 2024, approximately 22% of Latinos will vote in their first presidential election. In 2022, almost a quarter (24%) of Latino voters aged 18-29 voted for the first time. Brookings Institutionliberal think tank.
2024 UnidosUS request Of the 1,500 Latino parents or caregivers of children under 5, 30% said they were better off than last year, one-third said they were the same, and 37% said they were worse off. The poll has a margin of error of 2.5%.
Harris said there is “more work to be done” in his second term, citing homeownership and rent reductions, as well as lower child care and home health costs, as priorities.
Current levels of border migration and its impact on US cities yesand becomes the main concern of votersetc In the 2024 election cycle and one of Trump’s highest points of attack against Biden.
Harris said immigration is an issue where the choice between candidates on the November ballot is “ambiguous.”
Trump said he poisoned immigrants America has blood “killed” the bilateral border bill said that he will do it mass deportation operationhe said.
In contrast, Harris said shortly after Biden’s inauguration proposed a bill That includes a path to citizenship for eligible immigrants that Republicans won’t accept.
“The reality is they would rather deal with the problem, which is a broken immigration system, than fix the problem,” he said. “There are people who have lived 10, 20 years of very productive lives, paying taxes, contributing to the economy, and the path to citizenship is so broken because there is no path to citizenship.”
A recent Pew Research survey found About three-quarters of Hispanics view increased migration along the U.S.-Mexico border as a major problem or crisis, and about the same share believe the federal government is doing a bad job of it.
Latinos are less likely than other Americans to see more deportations and more border walls as an effective response, according to the poll.
who told NBC News the day before visiting the abortion clinic Harris, a Minnesota first for a president or vice president, said reproductive rights is an issue she and Biden believe have a majority of Latino voters. 40% of Latinos refer to it lives in a state with a ban on abortion.
A Pew Research poll that a majority Latinos (57%) say abortion should be legal in at least some cases, including 69% of Democrats or Republicans and 39% of Hispanic Republicans or Republicans.