Hillary Clinton is planning to focus on Latino voters this months, according to campaign aides, starting with the launch Latinos for Hillary during the Democratic presidential front-runner’s trip to Florida on Friday.
The former secretary of state will roll out Latino endorsements and is campaigning in areas with large Latino populations in the coming weeks.
Clinton will travel to San Antonio, Texas on Oct. 15 for her first organizing event in the state. The trip, according to aides, will focus on Latinas and Clinton’s personal story, which includes registering voters in South Texas in the 1970s.
Clinton has looked to Texas as part of a potential firewall in the battle for Democratic delegates, and her visit to San Antonio will be her second bid to shore up that support. On Wednesday, liberal hero Wendy Davis officially endorsed Clinton at an event in Austin, and Clinton has visited Texas to raise dollars and to speak on voting rights there in the spring. But since that speech, Sanders touched down in Houston and Dallas for two massive rallies.
Latinos are a critically important voting bloc for the Democratic Party, one that could possibly sway both the race for the party’s nomination and the general election. Clinton finds herself in a tighter than expected race with independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and her move to consolidate Latino support is a sign the candidate is trying to solidify her base.
Clinton has long performed well with Latino voters. During the 2008 Democratic primary, Hispanics picked Clinton over then-Sen. Barack Obama by a nearly two-to-one margin. In recent polling, Clinton consistently outperforms Sanders with non-white voters, including Latinos. In a CNN/ORC poll released in September, Clinton won 55% of non-white voters polled, compared to 17% for Sanders.
But the group is far from monolithic and Clinton’s campaign hopes her message on raising wages, affordable college and health care — in addition to immigration reform — will resonate with Latino voters.
Rep. Joaquin Castro will campaign for Clinton in Nevada on Oct. 11, ahead of the first Democratic debate, and Clinton will campaign in Southern Nevada on Oct. 14, according to aides.
Clinton will also speak at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Annual Awards Gala on Oct. 8 and will do conference calls with a number of high powered Hispanic groups, including the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus members.
The month-long push for Latino support mimics what Clinton’s campaign did in September for women voters, creating events that focused on the candidate’s record with the voting bloc.
But October could prove a critical month for Clinton. In addition to the debate, Clinton will testify before Congress later on Oct. 22 and will look to continue to fend off a surging Sanders.
Aides said Thursday that the campaign will also roll out endorsements from a host of Latino community leaders, elected officials and celebrities throughout October.