In Las Vegas, Flor Elena Fernandez, a 36-year-old housekeeping manager, is facing a difficult decision about whom to vote for in the upcoming election. Fernandez, who is concerned about the rising cost of food and living, expressed the anxiety felt within the Hispanic community regarding the current economic situation.
Fernandez’s one-and-a-half-year-old child, dressed in a superhero shirt, accompanied by her mother, Flor Maria Parra, walked with her from a grocery store. Parra has already decided to support Vice President Kamala Harris, citing Harris’s defense of Hispanic communities compared to former President Donald Trump’s policies.
Approximately one in five voters in Nevada are Latino, giving this group significant political influence. President Joe Biden narrowly won Nevada partly due to securing 60% of the Latino vote. However, recent polls indicate that Trump has garnered more support from the Latino community than previous Republican campaigns.
Trump unveiled a plan in Las Vegas to eliminate taxes on tips, aiming to appeal to the Latino workers heavily involved in the state’s casino and hospitality industry. In response, the Harris campaign is investing $3 million in Spanish-language radio advertisements, which represents their largest investment in Hispanic media to date. Additionally, Harris’s team is leveraging the Culinary Workers Union, which has consistently helped secure victories for the Democratic Party in Nevada.
Ted Pappageorge, the Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Workers Union, acknowledged that Nevada should ideally be considered Trump territory. Nonetheless, he is confident in the union’s ability to outperform competitors by engaging workers in door-to-door campaign efforts.
Thousands of cooks, servers, and room cleaners will participate in this initiative, taking leaves of absence from their jobs to support Harris and the Democrats. The Culinary Union will compensate these workers for their time spent campaigning.
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign is also intensifying its outreach to Latino voters in Nevada through various activities, including Spanish phone banking sessions, postcard-writing nights, and training local volunteers.
Tony Fabrizio, Trump’s lead pollster, argued that Harris’s team is heavily investing in Latino voters due to a significant decline in support within this community, particularly in Nevada and Arizona. Fabrizio claimed that all national polls, including those from NPR, clearly indicate Harris’s underperformance with Hispanics.
At the supermarket, opinions on Trump are split. Alfredo Alcasar, a maintenance worker, expressed his disapproval of Trump’s comments about Latinos, feeling they unfairly demean the community. Conversely, Pedro Fernandez, a carpenter unrelated to Flor Elena Fernandez, prioritized inflation and the cost of living over Trump’s rhetoric, noting the stronger economy under Trump’s leadership.
Flor Elena Fernandez remains undecided as she contemplates her vote in her first election as a new citizen. While acknowledging the economic challenges, she is also considering her mother’s perspective on Harris.
“We know that she [Harris] has a plan, but we don’t know how good it will be,” Fernandez remarked. Parra concurred, stating, “That’s right. We’ll see what happens.”
