Latino voters/ Kamala Harris/ Donald Trump/ 2024 election/ economic policy/ apprenticeships/ small business loans/ Latino men/ battleground states/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are competing for Latino voters, especially men, by emphasizing different economic policies. Harris promotes job training, small business loans, and apprenticeship programs, while Trump highlights his presidency’s economic success for Latinos. Both candidates see this demographic as crucial in battleground states.
Harris and Trump Vie for Latino Voters – Quick Look
- Harris aims to boost Latino support through apprenticeships and small business loans.
- Trump focuses on his presidency’s job growth, homeownership, and wage increases for Latinos.
- Latino men in key battleground states like Pennsylvania and Arizona could decide the 2024 election.
- Harris faces the challenge of overcoming inflation concerns tied to the Biden administration.
- Trump highlights the economy under his leadership, omitting 2020’s pandemic recession.
Trump and Harris Compete for Latino Votes Ahead of 2024 Election
Deep Look
As the 2024 U.S. presidential election draws near, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are actively courting Latino voters, especially Latino men, in hopes of swaying this pivotal demographic in key battleground states. The race has boiled down to whether Latino men will be more influenced by Harris’ forward-looking policy proposals or nostalgic for Trump’s economic record during his time in office.
In an interview scheduled with Telemundo, Harris plans to showcase her detailed agenda, which is aimed at expanding economic opportunities for Latinos. Her strategy is built upon extensive polling and focus group research, revealing that policies promoting job growth and financial stability resonate strongly with Latino men. One of her key proposals is to double the number of registered apprenticeships across the U.S. This initiative aims to create more pathways to stable careers for people without college degrees, a move that her campaign believes will significantly boost Latino men’s employment prospects.
Harris is also advocating for the elimination of college degree requirements for certain federal jobs, hoping to encourage private sector employers to follow suit. Additionally, her plan includes providing forgivable loans of up to $20,000 each to 1 million small businesses, helping to address a long-standing need for capital among Latino entrepreneurs. These policies are part of her broader goal to connect with voters who want access to better career opportunities and business resources.
Meanwhile, Trump is also making a direct appeal to Latino voters. In a roundtable event in Doral, a Miami suburb with a significant Latino population, Trump will argue that under his administration, Latinos saw an improvement in employment, wages, and homeownership. His campaign emphasizes that Trump was responsible for ushering in a period of prosperity, and they blame the Biden-Harris administration for eroding those gains through high inflation.
Trump’s economic pitch is built on the assertion that his administration’s policies were beneficial to Latinos, pointing to pre-pandemic job growth as evidence. He often omits the sharp economic downturn triggered by COVID-19 in 2020, which led to widespread job losses and a severe recession. Even though inflation has now dropped to 2.4%, Trump frequently revisits the spike in inflation seen in 2022, when prices for gas, groceries, and housing skyrocketed. He has promised to reduce inflation through increased oil production and a combination of tariff hikes and tax cuts.
While Trump leans heavily on his past presidency, Harris’ campaign is banking on the idea that Latino men, especially those who have participated in focus groups, are paying close attention to policy specifics. According to Matt Barreto, a Harris campaign pollster, the Latino men surveyed were particularly interested in access to apprenticeships as a means of securing financially stable careers without the burden of a college degree. This insight has become a focal point of Harris’ economic outreach to the Latino community.
The Department of Labor reports that the number of registered apprenticeships has grown under the Biden administration, with a current total of 641,044, compared to a peak of 569,311 during Trump’s presidency in 2020. Harris’ proposal to double the number of apprenticeships would elevate this figure to 1.2 million over the next four years, a substantial increase aimed at diversifying access to good-paying jobs.
Latino men have also expressed a need for better access to capital, a concern Harris is addressing with her forgivable loan program for small businesses. According to the Treasury Department, Latino business ownership has surged by 40% since before the pandemic. Harris hopes her policies will further fuel this entrepreneurial growth by providing more financing options.
While both campaigns are acutely aware of the importance of the Latino vote, they are taking different approaches. Harris is leaning into policy specifics, focusing on creating new economic opportunities, while Trump is drawing on his experience as a businessman and his past record as president. At a recent event, Trump praised Latinos for their entrepreneurial spirit and energy, positioning himself as the candidate who understands and supports their ambitions.
However, Trump’s promise to bring prosperity to Latino voters comes alongside a controversial stance on immigration, including a call for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. This hardline position may alienate segments of the Latino population, particularly those with mixed immigration statuses in their families or communities.
As the election nears, both campaigns are doubling down on their outreach to Latinos. Harris is leveraging media appearances across multiple platforms to connect with Latino voters, including a podcast aimed at younger women and radio interviews on Univision. Her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and her husband, Doug Emhoff, are also actively involved in outreach efforts to Latino audiences.
On the other hand, Trump continues to position himself as a champion of the Latino community’s economic success, despite his harsh immigration policies. His campaign is confident that Latinos, especially men, will respond positively to his business-focused message and his promises to restore economic prosperity.
In states like Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, where the Latino vote could determine the outcome of the election, both campaigns recognize the critical role this demographic will play. Ultimately, the question remains whether Latinos will be swayed by Trump’s recollection of his presidency’s successes or Harris’ detailed proposals for the future.
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