Out with immigration, in with the economy: Kamala Harris’ Latino messaging switch

Latino Los Angeles10/17/2024

1 minute read

For months, Javier Palomarez urged the Biden campaign to shift its messaging toward Latinos. A former Obama adviser, Palomarez thought President Joe Biden’s team focused too much on immigration and identity politics, and not enough on the economy. In May, a survey of U.S. Hispanic Business Council members — of which Palomarez serves as president and CEO — confirmed his concerns: When asked who they plan to support in the presidential election, Trump had a 10-point lead, 43% to 33%.

Now, four months later, Vice President Kamala Harris sits atop the Democratic ticket, and she is taking a different tack when approaching Latino voters: hammering a middle-class message on the economy, while speaking about immigration only sparingly.

“I’m delighted with where Kamala’s campaign is going,” Palomarez said. “Hispanics are not a monolith. We’re concerned about all the things every other American is concerned about.”

Harris’ approach was on full display Wednesday, when she appeared at the Congressional Hispanic […]