In governor's race, Spanberger makes economic pitch to Virginia's Latino voters in radio ad
The former congresswoman addresses rising costs, telling voters in Spanish, "I know what it's like for families today. I got things done to lower costs. That's what I'll do as governor, too."
Democrats across the country are working to regain the Latino support the party lost in the 2024 elections. President Trump made inroads with Latino voters both nationally and in key battleground states in the last election, outpacing Vice President Kamala Harris among Latino men. CBS News exit polling found the economy was the top issue for these voters, and most said they were worse off financially than they were four years earlier.
But polling since Mr. Trump's inauguration suggests that support among Latinos is now slipping. Unidos US polling of Latino voters on the first 100 days of Mr. Trump's second term suggests that only 19% felt the economy is better, compared to 2024. Looking ahead to 2026, 29% of Latino voters believe the economic policies being implemented will make their own personal finances better. The economy ranks as their No. 1 priority. Sixty percent said Mr. Trump and congressional Republicans are not focusing enough on bringing down the cost of everyday goods.
A spokesperson for Spanberger's campaign said she's "meeting Latino Virginians where they are — on the ground and in-language — and will continue connecting with and listening to Virginians in every community to emphasize her focus on lowering costs for families, keeping communities safe, and preparing the next generation of Virginians for success."
Latinos make up almost 11% of Virginia's total population, according to the Census Bureau, and their numbers are expected to continue to rise. Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha thinks Spanberger's focus on Latino voters is strategically smart.
"We saw in the last few cycles the Latino vote nationally has moved 18 points more Republican," Rocha said. "She's starting early to build a narrative about what she's going to do to make people's lives better, and this affordability issue is the best place to be with Latinos right now."
Spanberger has promised to work to lower the costs of health care and prescription drugs, housing and energy, as governor.
Her ad also takes aim at her opponent, GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, for supporting Trump administration policy proposals like shutting down the Department of Education.
"Sears backs Trump's cuts to education and health care, too," the ad says. "We need a governor who fights for Virginia, not Trump."
Earle-Sears is campaigning on her work alongside Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and promising to continue his agenda if she's elected. On Thursday, her campaign announced a six-figure ad buy that highlights her record and labels Spanberger, who represented Virginia in Congress for six years, as a "Washington insider."
She criticizes Spanberger in a TV ad, saying that the former congresswoman "voted with Pelosi and Biden every single time."
"That kind of Beltway nonsense will only take us backwards," Earle-Sears says in the ad. "Governor Youngkin put us on the right path. Now I'm asking for your vote to keep it that way."
Virginia's race for governor is often viewed as a referendum on the administration, since it occurs a year after the presidential election. In an interview with CBS News in June, Spanberger said Virginians like the fact that they're one of two states that will elect a new governor in 2025: "This November, Virginia gets to be the first to the polls, along with our friends up in New Jersey, to be able to make clear what it is that we want in our state leadership."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
a minute ago
- New York Times
How the Trump-Putin Summit Signals a Return to Imperial Thinking
When President Trump chose Alaska for Friday's summit meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to discuss the war in Ukraine, his supporters suggested that the location offered a nod to savvy deal making. The United States had purchased the territory from Russia in 1867 for about 2 cents an acre. But with Ukraine being excluded — as was the case for Indigenous Alaskans when their land was transferred — the summit has already revived discussion of what some scholars say Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump seem in some ways to share: an imperial mind-set. The term was first popularized by Gerard Libaridian, an Armenian-American historian, who used it in a 2014 speech in England to refer to former empires like Iran, Turkey and Russia, as they sought to influence post-Soviet states they had once controlled. In his view, it describes an approach that lingers in many a national psyche, fusing a simplistic nostalgia for greatness to strong beliefs about the right to keep dominating smaller nations and neighbors. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the idea has gained momentum, usually in reference to Putin's Russia. And Mr. Trump's assertive second term — with his threats to seize Greenland and the Panama Canal, make Canada the 51st state and send American troops into Mexico — has spurred new accusations from historians and world leaders that his demands for deference reflect an imperial mentality. Mr. Trump has hardly been consistent. He has often condemned foreign intervention and 'stupid wars,' while bombing Iran and expressing ambivalence about U.S. alliances and the defense of vulnerable democracies like Taiwan. Still, there's perhaps something imperial — or at least a version of great power behavior with some additional traits — in his talk of 'land swaps' to bring peace in Ukraine over the country's own objections. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Wall Street Journal
a minute ago
- Wall Street Journal
Trump Takes a Wrong Turn on Nvidia's Chips
President Trump entered office with a clear mandate to supercharge American innovation and reorient global trade to benefit the U.S. and our allies. Recent trade deals showcase the potential of this approach. Yet as you note in 'Now Trump Wants an Export Tax' (Review & Outlook, Aug. 12), applying the same logic to our export-control system is troubling. The administration's proposal to allow U.S. companies to sell export-controlled technologies to China, while paying the government a percentage of the sales, is a radical departure from precedent. These technologies are controlled because of their potential to harm national security should they fall into nefarious hands. Tying licenses to revenue generation also creates conflicting incentives for the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security between safeguarding our technological edge and filling government coffers.
CNBC
a minute ago
- CNBC
Wedbush's Matthew Bryson: Here's what a Trump Admin. stake in Intel would mean for the business
Matthew Bryson, Wedbush Securities equity research and hardware SVP, joins CNBC's 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss reports that the Trump Administration is considering a stake in Intel, whether it could change Intel's corporate priorities, and much more.
