Latino Democratic Group Launches $5 Million Campaign to Get Latinas to Vote

A new $5 million national campaign with a focus on key races in the southwest aims to get Latinas and mothers out to vote over issues like climate change and reproductive rights.

Latino Victory Project's "Vote Like a Madre" campaign, shared first with Newsweek, aims to bring together mothers and mother figures, such as tías, abuelas, hermanas, and madrinas, to make a "pinky promise" to vote and harness Latina voting power during the high-stakes midterm elections.

Nathalie Rayes, the Latino Victory Project president and CEO, calls Latinas the CEO's of every household. She said nearly 60% of Hispanic women back candidates "that support initiatives to combat climate change, so we have a key opportunity to mobilize this powerful electorate to vote for climate change action in November."

The campaign, while national, could play a role in Arizona and Nevada, where Democratic incumbents Senators Mark Kelly and Catherine Cortez Masto face tough races in November. These seats are critical, as the Senate currently has 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats and two independents, who caucus with the Democrats.

Vice President Kamala Harris often casts the deciding vote in a chamber that typically votes along party lines. That "majority of one" has allowed President Joe Biden to pass parts of his agenda like the Inflation Reduction Act, which Democrats celebrated at the White House on Tuesday.

Latinas comprised 9% of the electorate in both states in 2020, and supported Biden at a 65% level in Arizona and 72% in Nevada.

"It's everything," veteran Democratic strategist and CNN commentator Maria Cardona told Newsweek. "It can make the difference between a Democratic Senate, which will continue to fight for Latino families, and a Republican-controlled Senate, which will put our democracy and our country, as well as our communities and families, at risk."

The campaign is producing ads to run mainly on digital platforms, which will be amplified by mostly Latina celebrities who will use their social media, radio, and influencer platforms to rally Hispanic women to the voting booth.

They include Hollywood mainstays like actors Eva Longoria, Rosario Dawson, Jessica Alba, and America Ferrera, as well as playwright and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda and his mother Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda.

"Heat, drought, natural disasters, they're all making it harder for our niños to lead healthy, stable lives," Longoria says in the first ad released by the campaign, "and we need leaders to protect them."

The campaign will also feature telenovela stars including Angélica Maria, Angélica Vale, and Danna Garcia, as well as singers like Patricia Manterola, who have large followings among Latinas.

The social media and influencer promotion will be combined with direct voter contact from grassroots groups in key states. The first group to come on board for the campaign is Chispa Arizona, with more groups expected to be announced.

"At Chispa Arizona, we envision communities that enjoy clean air and water, open spaces and parks," said Vianey Olivarría, the Chispa Arizona state director, "and the security of knowing that our planet can sustain us today and for future generations."

Latino Victory Project, which mobilized 40,000 voters in Arizona and Florida during the 2020 election in the first iteration of the campaign, said 2022 will have the added issue of women angry over the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade and federal abortion protections.

While reproductive rights are not explicitly part of the campaign, the group knows Hispanic women are motivated and paying attention.

"This is a top issue for Latinas," Rayes said. "Having the right to choose, what you do with your body, it's one of the top issues for Latinas, and this will be on the ballot come November."

Cardona said Democrats have the right policies, but that won't get them where they need to be in November unless that message is shared with Hispanic voters in their communities.

"We cannot assume that just because our policies help Latinos live a better life in this country that everyone knows that," she said. "We don't have to just convince Latinos that's the case, but also educate them."