DNC announces initiative targeting Latino voters

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced Wednesday that it would launch an outreach program targeting Latino voters.

The program, known as Adelante, will “build on Democrats’ intensive outreach ahead of the upcoming midterm elections,” the DNC said in an announcement.

The DNC said it will also begin a seven-figure investment in paid media with Spanish-language print and radio ads. Those ads will run in several states including Texas, Florida, Nevada, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

“Latino voters are critical to our party’s success and Democrats are building on our investments in organizing and outreach through the launch of Adelante,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement.

“Through the leadership of Democrats, we’ve ushered in a historic economic recovery and we’re committed to continuing to deliver results for the Latino community and moving forward together to build a better America,” Harrison added.

The push comes after a December Wall Street Journal poll showed that Hispanic voters were narrowly split between Democrats and Republicans. 

The poll found that 44 percent of Hispanics said they would vote for President Biden in the 2024 presidential election while 43 percent said they would vote for former President Trump.

While the poll did have a small sample size, it pushed Democrats to reconsider how they appeal to diverse voters.

“I think that both parties should always have a sense of urgency in communicating with Hispanics, Latinos,” Ivan Zapien, a Democratic lobbyist and former executive director of the DNC’s Hispanic Leadership Council, said in December.

“Do I think that Democrats’ heads should be on fire over this issue? Yeah, I do. I think that their head should be on fire over this issue every day regardless of what polls say,” he added.