AS WELL AS IN TARGET MARKETS IN
FLORIDA AND ARIZONA.
OVER THE WEEKEND, BLOOMBERG
REPORTED THE BIDEN CAMP HAS
RAISED CONCERN OVER THE LACK OF
BLACK AND LATINO VOTERS TURNING
OUT IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES
SUCH AS FLORIDA AND
PENNSYLVANIA.
JOINING US NOW, PRESIDENT AND
CEO OF UNIDOS U.S., THE LARGEST
NATIONAL LATINO CIVIL RIGHTS AND
ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION IN THE
COUNTRY, JANET MORGIA.
ALSO CEO OF THE NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF LATINO AND
ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS
ARTURO VARGAS.
GOOD TO HAVE YOU BOTH WITH US.
AND JANET, I’LL START WITH YOU.
HOW DOES THE TURNOUT LOOK LIKE
FROM YOUR PERSPECTPERSPECTIVE?
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO GET LATINO
VOTERS TO ACTUALLY GET TO THE
POLLS?
>> WELL, ACTUALLY, I THINK WE’RE
GOING TO SEE THAT LATINO VOTERS
ARE GOING TO BE MAKING
HISTORICAL INROADS AS IT RELATES
TO THEIR TURNOUT.
WE’RE ALREADY SEEING THIS YEAR
THAT WE HAVE MORE THAN
QUADRUPLED OUR PARTICIPATION IN
EARLY AND ABSENTEE BALLOTING
COMPARED TO 2016, AND, YOU KNOW,
THAT’S A 224% INCREASE.
AND THIS COMPARES TO ABOUT 165%
INCREASE IN EARLY AND ABSENTEE
BALLOTS FOR VOTERS OVERALL.
NOW I DO KNOW THAT WE HAVE
ALWAYS SEEN SOUTH FLORIDA AND,
IN PARTICULAR, THE BREAKOUT OF
THE LATINO VOTERS IN THAT AREA
ALWAYS BE VERY COMPETITIVE IN
TERMS OF NO ONE PARTY BEING
FULLY OWNING THE LATINO
COMMUNITY’S VOTE.
AND THAT’S BEEN HISTORICALLY
TRUE.
BUT OVERALL, I AM HERE IN
ARIZONA.
I WAS IN TUCSON ON SATURDAY.
HERE IN PHOENIX, THESE NEXT FEW
DAYS.
I’M SEEING OVERWHELMING
ENTHUSIASM FOR THE TURNOUT BY
LATINO VOTERS.
AND I THINK THAT’S GOING TO BE
CONSISTENT IN ALL THE KEY STATES
LIKE TEXAS, FLORIDA, ARIZONA,
NEVADA.
I THINK WE’RE SEEING A REAL
UPTICK THAT WILL BE HISTORICAL.
>> ARTURO, ARE YOU SEEING THE
SAME THING?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
GOOD MORNING.
GOOD TO SEE MY GOOD FRIEND JANET
TODAY.
WE’VE BEEN DOING A TRACKING POLL
FOR THE NINE WEEKS LEADING UP TO
THIS ELECTION.
AS OF TODAY, WE HAVE SURVEYED
3,700 LATINO REGISTERED VOTERS.
HALF OF THEM HAVE TOLD US THEY
ALREADY HAVE VOTED AS OF TODAY.
OUR PROJECTIONS AT THE
EDUCATIONAL FUND WERE THAT 14.6
LATINOS WOULD VOTE.
THAT’S A 15 MRS% INCREASE OVER 2
WE THINK OUR PROJECTIONS ARE
GOING TO BE SHATTERED BY
TOMORROW.
WELL OVER 14.6 MILLION LATINOS
WILL VOTE, ACCORDING TO OUR
POLL.
ENTHUSIASM IS EXTREMELY HIGH.
UP TO 75% OF LATINOS ARE TELLING
US THEY ARE CERTAIN TO VOTE.
AND SO WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT A
STRONG LATINO TURNOUT.
>> JANET, AS YOU SUSS OUT THE
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PRESIDENT
TRUMP AND JOE BIDEN AS
CANDIDATES, WHERE DO YOU SEE THE
SUPPORT FOR JOE BIDEN?
ON WHAT ISSUE EXACTLY, AND ON
THE OTHER SIDE, WHAT ABOUT FOR
PRESIDENT TRUMP?
>> WELL, I WAS SEEING YOUR
SEGMENT EARLIER.
KURT POINTED IT OUT, AND I THINK
IT’S SOMETHING WE’RE SEEING
REINFORCED DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
COVID-19 IS TOP OF MIND FOR ALL
OF OUR LATINO VOTERS.
AND THEY’RE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE
WHO WILL ADDRESS THIS.
AND THEY’VE SEEN SO FAR, REALLY,
A FAILURE IN LEADERSHIP.
THAT’S SOMETHING THAT WE’VE SEEN
IN OUR POLLING THAT TRACKS WHAT
WE’RE HEARING AS WELL.
OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN CRUSHED
BY THE IMPACT OF COVID,
DISPROPORTIONATELY SO.
WE’RE TWO TO THREE TIMES MORE
LIKELY TO GET THE DISEASE AND
THEN WE’RE ALSO MORE LIKELY AT A
HIGHER RATE TO DIE FROM IT.
SO FOR OUR COMMUNITY, SOMEONE
BEING ABLE TO GET A HANDLE ON
THIS PANDEMIC AND ADDRESS IT AND
ULTIMATELY BE ABLE TO ADDRESS
HEALTH CARE COSTS, THAT IS TOP
OF MIND.
AND WE’RE SEEING THAT BIDEN IS
TRENDING QUITE FAVORABLY AMONG
LATINO VOTERS IN BOTH OF THOSE
AREAS.
OBVIOUSLY, THE ECONOMY TOP OF
MIND AS WELL.
STRENGTHENING IT AND TURNING IT
AROUND.
BUT OUR COMMUNITY WANTS A LEADER
WHO WILL UNIFY US, WHO WILL
RESPECT OUR CONTRIBUTIONS IN
PARTICULAR AS ESSENTIAL WORKERS
DURING THIS TIME WHERE WE’VE
STEPPED IN TO KEEP THE COUNTRY
GOING.
AND THOSE ARE ALL ISSUES THAT
ARE VERY TOP OF MIND FOR OUR
COMMUNITY.
>> ARTURO, THIS ELECTION, I’VE
ENJOYED WATCHING THIS ELECTION
UNFOLD BECAUSE IT’S BEEN VERY
EDUCATIONAL FOR POLITICIANS AND
PUNDITS WHO I’VE LONG COMPLAINED
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY LOOKED AT
HISPANIC LATINO VOTERS AS A
MONOLITH.
AND THEY WOULD JUST SAY BEHIND
CLOSED DOORS, WELL, YOU KNOW,
THE HISPANIC POPULATION IS
GROWING AT SUCH A RATE WE’RE
GOING TO WIN THIS STATE AND THAT
STATE IN FOUR YEARS NEVER
THINKING THAT LIKE IN A STATE
LIKE FLORIDA, CUBAN AMERICAN
VOTERS ARE FAR DIFFERENT THAN
PUERTO RICAN VOTERS OR FAR
DIFFERENT THAN DOMINICAN VOTERS.
FAR DIFFERENT THAN A LOT OF
DIFFERENT HISPANIC LATINO
VOTERS.
AND IT’S INSULTING TO SUGGEST
THAT YOU CAN JUST LOOK AT
HISPANICS, LATINOS AS ONE
OVERARCHING GROUP.
TALK ABOUT -- TALK ABOUT ALL THE
UNDERCURRENTS THAT YOU’VE SEEN
THIS YEAR AND JUST SORT OF THIS
RICH -- THIS RICH FABRIC OF
HISPANICS, OF LATINOS AND HOW
IT’S GOING TO IMPACT THE
ELECTION.
>> WELL, WE’VE ALWAYS SAID THAT
THE LATINO ELECTORATE IS NOT A
MONOLITH.
THAT IT’S DIVERSE.
IT’S DIVERSE NOT JUST BY
NATIONAL ORIGIN, IT’S ALSO
DIVERSE BY GEOGRAPHY.
YOU’RE MEXICAN AMERICAN VOTER IN
TEXAS IS NOT THE SAME AS YOUR
MEXICAN AMERICAN VOTER
NECESSARILY IN CALIFORNIA.
SO THE SMART CAMPAIGNS ARE THE
ONE THAT REALLY FIND OUT WHO THE
ELECTORATE IS THAT IS LATINO,
THAT THEY ARE APPEALING TO.
LISTENING TO THE VOTERS AND NOT
ASSUMING WHAT ARE THE ISSUES
IMPORTANT TO LATINOS.
AGAIN, ACCORDING TO OUR TRACKING
POLL AS JANET SAID, COVID-19 IS
THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE LATINOS
HAVE IN MIND AS THEY GO TO THE
POLLS.
FOLLOWED BY ACCESS TO HEALTH
CARE.
THEN WAGES AND THE ECONOMY.
THEN IMMIGRATION REFORM.
AND THEN INSTITUTIONAL RACISM.
CONSISTENTLY.
THOSE ARE THE FIVE TOP ISSUES
LATINOS ARE CARING ABOUT.
WITH MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF
LATINOS SAYING THEY KNOW SOMEONE
WHO HAS DIED FROM COVID-19, THE
CAMPAIGNS GOING TO SPEAK TO
LATINOS ABOUT HOW THEY’D ADDRESS
COVID-19 ARE PROBABLY GOING TO
HAVE THE MOST SUCCESS.
>> ALL RIGHT.