The second round of Democratic debates for the candidates running for President kicked off last night in Detroit. Candidates debated about immigration, healthcare and who can beat the current President, Donald Trump. Top Latino issues like education and the economy were missing. Tonight the second round of Democratic hopefuls, including Democratic front runner Joe Biden, will face off. Here’s why they need to step up their game and address Latino concerns now.
According to new voter analysis released by Univision and L2, Latino voter registration and turnout grew drastically in seven more states in 2018. These states included Colorado, New Mexico and Ohio. In Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, places that are forecast to be battleground states in 2020, voter participation also increased.
“Hispanic America turned out in unprecedented numbers in 2018 across all age groups and we expect that trend to continue into the 2020 election cycle. This new data from seven additional states further demonstrates that Hispanic voters are a crucial demographic and any candidate or issue group that wants to win must get their message out to Latinos,” said Vince Sadusky, Chief Executive Officer, Univision.
Voter registration grew notably in places like New Mexico where nearly half of new voters were Latino. In North Carolina Latino voters increased by 28%. Actual voter turnout also spiked in these states. Latino voters ages 25-34 nearly doubled across these key locations.
With this kind of power behind the Latino vote, people and their concerns must be addressed. Case in point, Julian Castro, the only Latino candidate for President, there is no guaranty of victory. Therefore, unless candidates stop pandering and start offering real solutions, Democrats will lose in 2020.