Trump hopes to reassure Latino voters as Harris uses star power to make a case

Harris and Trump toured the Southwest on Thursday, making stops in Arizona and Nevada to make their case to Latino voters, a key demographic group in the two states that could influence the outcome of the election. However, both candidates took very different approaches to attracting key demographics.

The vice president leaned on celebrities and artists accompanied by Mexican music groups Los Tigres Del Norte and Maná at her rallies on Thursday, while pop star Jennifer Lopez, who is Puerto Rican, also addressed voters in Nevada. Meanwhile, Trump has focused his attention on the crisis at the southern border and his plans to crack down on illegal immigration.

The Sun Belt’s swing comes as both Trump and Harris face controversy surrounding their campaigns. Trump is dealing with the fallout from a comedian’s controversial joke calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden in New York over the weekend, while Harris is working to clear up a comment President Joe Biden made during video call. in which he called Trump supporters “trash” in response to a joke told at a Trump rally.

Earlier in the day, Trump traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico, saying he had decided to speak in the Democratic-leaning state to boost his chances among Latino voters.

“I’m here for one simple reason: I like you a lot, and that’s good for my standing in the Hispanic or Latino community,” Trump told voters in New Mexico’s largest city.

In Arizona, Latinos make up 25% of the eligible voting population, while in Nevada they make up just over one in five eligible voters, according to the Pew Research Center. This demographic has historically been dominated by Democrats, but polls have shown Trump is erasing that advantage, especially among Hispanic men.

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Harris uses star power to attract Latino voters as she makes closing speech

Harris made her closing argument at a rally in Phoenix, urging voters to contrast her message with Trump, warning that he is “insulting Latinos” and “scapegoating immigrants” in what could be her final address to the powerful voting bloc in Arizona.

“My opponent also makes his closing argument to America, and you’ve probably seen some of that. This is an argument filled with hatred and divisiveness,” Harris said while addressing voters at the Talking Stick Resort Amphitheater. “He insults Latinos, he scapegoats immigrants, and it’s not just what he says, it’s what he will do if elected.”

Ahead of Harris’ performance, she was joined by Mexican band Los Tigres del Norte. She was also joined by Senate candidate Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who has leaned heavily on Latino voters in his campaign and has been crisscrossing the state for the past 22 months.

“I am a father, a husband, a son of immigrants, a congressman and a proud Marine, but I am an even more proud Arizonan,” Gallego said, splitting his speech in English and Spanish.

“I hope in just five days, in five days, you will become the next United States senator and the first Hispanic senator in Arizona history,” he added.

But Harris’ most famous surrogate on Thursday was Jennifer Lopez, who said “every Latino in this country” was offended by the comedian’s controversial joke at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden over the weekend.

“It wasn’t just Puerto Ricans who were offended that day. Okay, that was every Latino in this country. It was humanity and any person of integrity,” Lopez said ahead of Harris’ appearance in Las Vegas on Thursday.

Lopez, whose parents are Puerto Rican, appealed to Latino voters, who make up a large portion of Nevada’s population. Earlier this week, she expressed support for Harris’ campaign to her 250 million Instagram followers after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made controversial comments about Puerto Rico.

“I’m Puerto Rican, and yes, I was born here and we are Americans,” Lopez said, becoming visibly emotional.

“I am a mother, I am a sister. I am an actor and showman. And I like Hollywood endings. I like it when the good guy, or in this case the good girl, wins.”

Last New York Times/ A Siena poll found Harris with just 52% support among Latino voters, well below the 66% who voted for Joe Biden in 2020. According to the poll, Trump is supported by 42% of Latinos.

The polling average in the Grand Canyon State showed Trump leading the vice president by 2.4%, with support ranging from 49.3% to 46.9%.

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Trump: ‘We’re going to get a record share of the Latino vote’

Speaking to supporters in Henderson, Nevada, the Republican candidate boasted of his support among Latinos, a demographic group that makes up about 30% of the state’s population.

“We are especially pleased to receive the support of a record number of Latinos right here in Nevada; we’re going to get a record share of the Latino vote at a level that no one has ever seen before for the party,” Trump said.

Trump emphasized that his message to Latinos revolves around the economy, particularly reducing inflation, creating opportunity and restoring policies that are better for their wallets.

“It’s quite simple: Hispanics want good jobs. They want higher wages and safer communities. They are wonderful people,” Trump said. “You don’t want vicious gang members dumped on your state.”

In recent days, Trump has continued to count on concerns about illegal border crossings and immigration to boost voter turnout. In a surprise move, Trump brought on stage the family of a Marine veteran who was shot and killed in Mexico to highlight failures of immigration policy.

The former president described how Nicholas Douglas Kets, a Marine veteran from Arizona, was killed by a suspected Mexican cartel member in Northern Mexico a couple of weeks ago. The family met with both Trump and Vance in recent days and decided to support the Republican nomination. They previously told Washington Equizor that they were shocked by the concern and deep support that Trump and Vance expressed to them in private meetings.

“President Trump gave me 15 minutes of his time to talk about what we can do. I asked him for some things and he helped,” said retired Army Lt. Col. Warren Douglas Kets, the father of the slain Marine, who said he was not prepared to speak at the rally.

“It was this policy that contributed to the murder of my son. These policies contribute to the deaths of other Americans,” he added.

The Silver State poll average showed Trump leading the vice president by 0.9 percentage points, with support ranging from 48.5% to 47.6%.