Biden’s big play for Puerto Rican voters: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the policy deskevening bulletin that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill from the NBC News Politics team.

In today’s edition, White House Senior Correspondent Gabe Gutierrez reports on Joe Biden’s campaign and the White House’s efforts to attract voters from Puerto Rico. Plus, Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker has an exclusive interview with former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.

Why is Biden betting big on voters from Puerto Rico?

By Gabe Gutierrez

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Puerto Ricans on the island will not be able to vote for president this November. But those from the US territory and now living on the mainland are becoming a top priority for Joe Biden’s campaign.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday Visited Puerto Rico for the first time since taking office, the Biden administration emphasized its support for the island, which continues to rebuild after several hurricanes.

The trip comes as Biden’s campaign invests more in Latino outreach earlier this election cycle — and it’s not just focusing on the usual broad-based outlets like Univision and Telemundo.

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The campaign is over publishing advertisements WAPA-TV, one of Puerto Rico’s main stations, hopes the message will get back to the mainland, contrasting Biden with Donald Trump’s record on health care spending and reproductive rights. It also airs ads targeting Puerto Ricans and Latin Americans more broadly on local radio stations on the island and in the United States.

“People who are part of the diaspora are getting their information from him,” said one campaign official familiar with the strategy. “We’re being intentional.”

The Puerto Rican diaspora in the US mainland is gaining more and more political influence ahead of the 2024 elections. Significantly, the state of Pennsylvania has the third largest population of Puerto Ricans in the United States, with nearly 500,000, after Florida and New York.

The increase in Puerto Rican turnout in central Florida — a core area of ​​the perennial swing state — has drawn much attention from campaigns in previous elections. But with Florida leaning further to the right in recent years, Democrats are focusing more on Puerto Rican voters in more narrowly divided Pennsylvania.

Maria Quinones-Sánchez, a former city councilwoman in Philadelphia who now works with Boricuas John Biden, a group organizing Puerto Rican voters for president, said the campaign was too late in 2020 to engage with the Latino community in Pennsylvania, but she was encouraged. with early promotion this year.

“The Puerto Rican/Latino community is not only growing, it’s electing people in all corners of the state,” he said. “So we become the margin that others don’t see, if the campaign engages us and connects our reality to the future of our country, it will make a difference.”

More →

What worries Stephen Breyer about America’s democracy

By Kristen Welker

Almost two years have passed since Stephen Breyer fell down More than a year has passed since the US Supreme Court and his last television interview.

But I spoke with Breyer this week about his new book, Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism Over Textualism, as well as his thoughts on the Supreme Court, American politics, and Roe v. I sat down to discuss his thoughts on the ruling that overturned the Wade case.

In our interview, Breyer talked about what worries him about the state of democracy in this country.

WELKER: Are you worried that so many people in this country are losing their ability to listen?

BREYER: Yes.

WELKER: And where does that leave us?

BREYER: Bad.

WELKER: What does this potentially mean for the state of this country’s democracy?

BREYER: Hey, look, there are two sides to most things. Did you say one, the United States of America? hey This is partly the United States of America. So the United States? We used to think, and I think now, that maybe we don’t listen as much as we should.

Breyer he also said Roe v. The infamous leak of the draft opinion that undermined Wade was “unfortunate.” I also asked him about reports before the leak that deliberations among the justices were coalescing around a compromise that would leave Roe in place while banning abortions after 15 weeks.

WELKER: Did you think a compromise could be reached before the leak? About 15 weeks?

BREYER: I usually hope for a compromise.

WELKER: So you were hoping there might be a compromise?

BREYER: You want to put words in my mouth. I am careful what I say about this. Because I say that our interests are different. I don’t want to report. I wrote what I thought. If you think there’s news here or there to the contrary, move on right away. But I don’t want to raise an issue by saying something.

WELKER: Just to be clear. Do you think a compromise will be possible?

BREYER: I always think it’s possible. I always — I always think it’s possible, usually until the last minute.

With the Supreme Court at the center of the 2024 election, Breyer’s words weigh heavily. Two of the biggest issues voters will face this November are reproductive rights and the direction of American democracy.

Breyer’s Roe v. Tune into Sunday’s Meet the Press for more on Wade’s thoughts on guns and Trump-related Supreme Court cases.

For now, that’s it from The Politics Desk. If you have feedback – like it or not – send us an email politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com

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