Report: Democrats Fear Kamala Harris Struggling with Latinos in Pennsylvania
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Democrats fear Vice President Kamala Harris may be lagging with the Latino voting bloc in the swing state of Pennsylvania.
According to two sources who attended a recent event in Philadelphia, several Latino business leaders and Democrat allies approached Harris to warn her about her lack of engagement with that voting bloc, but it yielded little fruit and understanding. Per Politico:
At a recent reception in Philadelphia, multiple Latino leaders approached Harris staffers and campaign allies privately to deliver versions of that admonition, according to two people who attended the event and were granted anonymity to describe private conversations. And interviews with a dozen Latino Democratic elected officials and strategists in this key swing state reveal ongoing fears that Latino men, in particular, still aren’t on board with Harris.
The drift among Latino men to Trump shows up everywhere in public polling — as Democrats’ lead among Latino voters has deteriorated to its lowest levels in decades, part of a long-term trend for Democrats. That’s true in Nevada and Arizona, two highly diverse states where Harris faces problems with diminishing support among Latino voters. And Harris’ performance with Latino voters in Pennsylvania, home to about 580,000 registered Latino voters, could tip the entire election.
Victor Martinez, who owns a Spanish radio station in Pennsylvania, told Politico the Harris campaign has not done enough to get the Latino community out to vote, stressing that Trump macho persona appeals to Latino men.
“Yes, I am concerned, I am worried. … The Harris campaign needs to continue and do better at getting to the community, getting them out to vote,” Martinez told the outlet. “Trump has created a macho persona, a personality that is very attractive to the Latino man, and I can say this because I am a Latino man.”
Another anonymous official in Pennsylvania told the outlet the Harris campaign has not done enough to get “Latino men over whatever issues they have about electing a woman as president — that’s on a lot of people’s minds.”
RELATED: Rep. Mayra Flores: Dems Think They Can Trade Tacos for Latino Votes
Despite the dip in support, Harris will still likely win the majority of Latino voters in both Pennsylvania and in the national vote, but the fact Trump has been able to steal so many votes away has raised alarm bells in some Democrats.
As Breitbart News reported last week, Kamala Harris also seems to be having trouble in Michigan where Arab-American voters have begun to sour on her candidacy due to the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
The New York Times profiled the sudden split Arab and Muslim voters in Michigan have made with Kamala Harris — a voting bloc of 300,000 people in a swing state.
“Four years ago, President Biden won Michigan with strong backing from many of those Americans. But interviews this weekend with voters, activists and community leaders in the Detroit area suggested that support for the Democratic ticket has not merely eroded among Arab Americans and Muslims,” noted the Times. “In some neighborhoods, it has all but vanished.”
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