Harris Makes Final Push to Engage Latino Voters in Arizona, Nevada

Vice President Kamala Harris held marketing campaign occasions on Oct. 31 in Arizona and Nevada, two key battlegrounds with giant Latino communities.

Harris kicked off her marketing campaign with a cease in Phoenix, Arizona, earlier than persevering with to occasions in two cities in Nevada—Reno and Las Vegas.

In each states, Harris started her speech by discussing financial challenges, particularly the excessive value of residing.

“On day one, when I’m elected, I’ll stroll in with a to-do checklist,” Harris advised her supporters in Phoenix.

“And on prime of my checklist, in that spirit, is bringing down your value of residing. It’s a difficulty that we have to deal with, and it is going to be my focus each single day as president.”

Harris continued her speech by outlining her financial plan, assuring that she would ship tax cuts to greater than 100 million People, implement a federal ban on company value gouging for groceries, and guarantee housing affordability.

On this 12 months’s election, constitutional amendments to develop or defend abortion entry may also be on the poll in each Arizona and Nevada.

The Democratic presidential candidate focused former President Donald Trump, Republican nominee, for his latest remarks at a rally on Oct. 30 that he would defend ladies “whether or not the ladies prefer it or not.”

“It really is, I feel, very offensive to ladies by way of not understanding their company, their authority, their proper, and their capacity to make selections about their very own lives, together with their very own our bodies,” Harris advised reporters in Wisconsin earlier than heading to Arizona.

Harris has tried to bolster her attraction to this voting group, particularly as a rising quantity inside the neighborhood are starting to shift towards Republicans. A rising variety of Latino male voters are leaning towards Trump, latest surveys present.

Ernesto Castaneda, a sociology professor and director of the Heart for Latin American and Latino Research at American College, anticipates a powerful turnout amongst Latino voters this 12 months.

They might play a major function within the upcoming election, particularly in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, and perhaps Georgia, Castaneda advised The Epoch Occasions.

The Trump marketing campaign issued an announcement on Oct. 31 criticizing Harris’ monitor document on financial points.

“Historically, Halloween brings costumes, haunted homes, ghost tales, and spooky motion pictures. However beneath the Biden-Harris Administration, People have confronted a brand new sort of fright: Kamalanomics,” the assertion mentioned. “Throughout the nation, rising costs for costumes, sweet, and decorations have left households feeling haunted by inflation quite than festive.”

He has a 2.6 percentage-point lead in Georgia and a 2.4-point benefit in Arizona. Trump additionally maintains a slender benefit in North Carolina (1.4 %), Nevada (0.9 %), and Pennsylvania (0.6 %).

Harris has a razor-thin benefit in Michigan (0.5 %) and Wisconsin (0.2 %).

The Harris marketing campaign introduced on Oct. 31 that the vice chairman will host her election evening watch occasion at Howard College in Washington, D.C., her alma mater and a traditionally black faculty (HBCU).

In the meantime, the Trump marketing campaign introduced earlier that the previous president will maintain an election evening watch occasion in West Palm Seashore, Florida, on Nov. 5.

Voters Voice Inflation, Immigration Considerations

Voters in Arizona interviewed by The Epoch Occasions mentioned that their predominant considerations are inflation and immigration.

In a suburb exterior Tucson, 43-year-old Joshua Goodman identifies himself as unbiased.

“This 12 months, it’s going to boil right down to folks like me,” he mentioned of management of Congress and the White Home. “I flip forwards and backwards; I don’t have a political allegiance.”

Goodman mentioned his funds have gotten tighter over the previous 4 years. He desires to maneuver, however he can’t afford a mortgage with the present excessive charges hovering round 8 %.

Inflation ties in with the nation’s greatest downside, which is the open southwestern border, he mentioned.

“We’ve acquired to close it down,” he mentioned.

Goodman complained concerning the value of groceries and consuming out. He paid $3.33 plus tip for espresso, toast, and grits at an area eatery. He not too long ago priced a six-piece Pleased Meal at $10.32.

Veronica Mora Huff, 34, who’s from San Simon, Arizona, is annoyed with unlawful immigration and the excessive value of residing.

Huff, whose household is Mexican-American, mentioned she and her husband work onerous, however they’re struggling to boost their kids whereas international nationals have it simpler.

“My husband works seven days per week. I work 5 days per week. We have now three daughters,” she mentioned. “We barely get by, and it’s not proper as a result of we do what we’re presupposed to as People.”

Denny Graham from Tucson, Arizona, is a Harris supporter. The 89-year-old retired professor of engineering mentioned life has largely stayed the identical for him beneath the Biden–Harris administration.

He marveled on the modifications he’d seen in his lifetime for ladies’s rights and questioned if he would see the primary girl president of the USA.

He recalled that when he graduated from highschool, no ladies in his class went to varsity. Now, extra ladies than males attend universities.

“The one factor that pisses me off about dying is I’m not going to see what’s going to occur. Take into consideration the modifications we’re going to expertise within the subsequent 50 years. It’s unbelievable,” he mentioned.

Darlene McCormick Sanchez contributed to this report.