This year’s efforts by Republican and Democratic campaigns to reach out to Latino voters have been particularly pronounced in key battleground states where the Latino vote could be decisive for either party, and Pennsylvania is one of those states. One. The largest of the battleground states, with 19 electors at stake, has a sizable Latino community, 53% of whom are Puerto Rican. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump’s campaigns are seeking to connect with prominent Puerto Rican voices in the cultural world as a way to woo the community in what could prove decisive in November. It is said that
In August, Puerto Rican reggaeton artists Anuel AA and Justin Quiles joined President Trump on the campaign trail at a rally in Pennsylvania in late August. Anuel AA endorsed President Trump and criticized President Biden before directly addressing voters in Puerto Rico.
“So, Puerto Ricans, let’s unite. Vote for Trump,” he told the crowd, adding, “Trump wants to help Puerto Rico grow and succeed as a nation.”
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Anuel AA has had four albums reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Albums chart, sold out tours in the U.S., South America, and Europe, and Quills has had a string of hits of his own. But to those outside the Latin music world, their names are relatively unknown, something Trump himself pointed out when introducing them.
“I don’t know if these people know who the hell you are, but it’s good for the Puerto Rican vote. All Puerto Ricans are going to vote for Trump right now.” And a few weeks later, At a rally in Las Vegas, his unfamiliarity with fellow Puerto Rican artist Nicky Jam was evident.
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President Trump exclaimed, “You know Nicki? She’s hot!” Nicky Jam is a man. Undeterred, Nicky Jam joined him on the microphone and told the crowd, “We need Donald Trump as president again.” This sparked an immediate backlash on social media among fans and fellow Latin American artists who were upset with the support and felt that Nicky Jam had been insulted by the former president. Those criticizing the artist included Mexican rock band Mana, who deleted a song they performed with Nicky Jam in 2016 and called it a racist in a social media post. will not cooperate.” Nicky Jam ultimately withdrew his endorsement from Instagram.
Democrats are also lobbying the block, including sending a Puerto Rican actor supporting Harris to a September rally in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Liza Colon-Zayas, known for her role in the series “The Bear,” and Anthony Ramos, a member of the original Broadway cast of “Hamilton,” commemorated the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Maria’s devastation in Puerto Rico. He campaigned in support of Harris.
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At the rally, Colon-Zayas reminded the crowd of the Trump administration’s response to the hurricane.
“We remember President Trump blocking billions of dollars in hurricane relief after Hurricane Maria devastated the island,” she said, adding, “He disrespected us and made Puerto Rico “I remember calling us ‘dirty and poor’ and throwing paper towels at us,” he added.
As president, Trump held off $20 billion in hurricane relief money for three years, insisting it would simply go toward paying off the island’s debt. A former Trump aide said at one point he even joked about Greenland’s trade with Denmark and Puerto Rico. in 2020Six weeks before the election, President Trump lifted the aid.
This disdain for Puerto Rico is a major part of the criticism leveled at artists who supported Trump. The social media pages of Nicky Jam, Anuel AA, Quills and others have been flooded with comments that sell them short and don’t connect with their communities.
“Issues related to the island of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican community continue to resonate strongly with Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania,” UNIDOSUS Executive Director Ray Karazos told CBS News.
Carassos observed that the type of Latino agents supporting each campaign is “indicative of the target demographic within the Latino community.” He said Harris has a “very mainstream Latino persona that appeals to assimilated English-speaking Latinos,” while Trump’s surrogates have “a more street brand, a younger He added that he has a “very macho men’s brand that appeals to Latino men.”
The dream endorser is said to be Bad Bunny, a global superstar who not only enjoys support from young Latino men, but also has crossover appeal as a mainstream cultural icon.
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Originally from Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny is no stranger to politics. He recently purchased several billboards harshly criticizing the New Progressive Party, which is currently in power on the island, claiming that a vote for the New Progressive Party is a vote against corruption.
Many of his song lyrics criticize the Puerto Rican government’s ineffective response to crises such as the major hurricanes that have hit the island in recent years. It’s unclear who Bad Bunny will support in the presidential election, but in a 2017 interview with Billboard, he wore a shirt that seemed to take aim at then-President Trump. It read, “Are you a tweeter or a president?”
Trump has provided few details about what he would do for the Puerto Rican community if elected, but polls show his broad message resonates with Latinos.
A recent NBC/Telemundo poll of Latino voters found that 40% of Latinos supported Trump, an improvement from 2020, when he received just 32% of the Hispanic vote. There is.
Carazo said Trump may be gaining more support among Latinos by “targeting persuasive, marginal Latino voters,” such as young Latinos. said that it was high. He said the campaign also focuses on conservative religious communities centered around social issues.
Harris also has not laid out specific plans for Puerto Rico, and the Biden administration faces unique challenges in addressing Puerto Rico’s needs. A February government accountability report found that only a fraction of the $23 billion in FEMA funds earmarked for rebuilding Puerto Rico, which has been hit by a series of hurricanes and earthquakes starting with Hurricane Maria in 2017, has been spent. It turns out that $1.8 billion still requires FEMA approval for $11.3 billion. It can be spent.
Puerto Ricans want that from their government, too. crack down on About wealthy American tax evaders who continue to speculate in Puerto Rican real estate and drive up the cost of housing for islanders far beyond what they can afford. Issues like these have led to growing frustration in the Latino community that politicians on both sides of the aisle seem to only care about Latinos when votes are needed, only to be forgotten until the next election cycle. .
It’s impossible to say whether any of the artists who will influence the 2024 election will make a difference at the polls this fall, but these are the various ways political parties are trying to get Latinos to vote. It is an expression of the kind of support activities.
Carazo said Puerto Rican voters he spoke to in Pennsylvania “want real engagement” and are “desperate for more help.” He added that both sides “need to invest more in culturally competent direct voter contact that resonates with this particular type of Latino voter in Pennsylvania.”
Christopher Brito contributed to this report.
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