Hispanics and Latinos are the largest minority group in the U.S., and one of the fastest growing. States like Arizona and California are well known to have a high population of Hispanics and Latinos. But that's also true in Pennsylvania – the biggest swing state up for grabs.
According to data from UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute, Pennsylvania has the 10th largest population of eligible Latino voters.
The presidential elections in Pennsylvania in 2016 and 2020 were decided by 44,000 votes and 80,000 votes, respectively. With 579,000 eligible Latino votersin Pennsylvania this year, that voting bloc could be the deciding factor in the presidential race.
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In an interview on "The Race," Clarissa Martinez De Castro, the vice president of the Latino Vote Initiative at UnidosUS, said every election cycle, a significant number of Latino voters will be voting in a presidential election for the first time. She adds campaigns need to do outreach to make sure those new voters are informed.
A new Scripps News/Ipsos poll found inflation and immigration are the top issues among all Americans. That tracks with a recent poll of the Hispanic electorate from UnidosUS that found economic issues were four of the top five concerns for voters.
"For a very long time, if candidates bothered to reach out they would only talk about immigration. When immigration is not the top issue, candidates assume it doesn't matter. Both of those things are wrong. Top of mind for Latino voters have always been pocketbook issues," said Martinez De Castro.
Getting support from Hispanic and Latino voters requires more than just a few Spanish-language ads. Candidates need to reach out and connect directly with voters.
"It's not so much that they're undecided completely, [it] is that they're still forming their opinions about the candidates. So there's advantages for the candidates to reach out," said Martinez De Castro.
Nationwide, an estimated 17 million Latinos will vote this November.
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