El voto joven hispano. The young hispanic vote. A demographic that is absolutely crucial to Hillary’s victory in the tipping point state of Florida (and beyond). Hispanic millennials “account for nearly half of the record 27.3 million Hispanics eligible to vote in November,” according to an article by the Boston Globe, and the 48% of them who support Hillary are doing so unenthusiastically. “64 percent,” of these hispanic millennials, “described their support more as a vote against Donald Trump than a vote for her.”
Because of this, the Clinton campaign has been very strategic in using rhetoric to appeal to the Hispanic millennial generation. Here are a few examples of how Hillary is trying to get these young hispanics fired up:
- Hillary runs bilingual television, radio, and digital ads to appeal to Spanish-speaking voters and to show them that she views them as an integral and important part of our country. One of these ads entitled “Juntos se Puede,” which translates to “Together we Can,” features young families excited to exercise their right to vote and also features some beloved establishments in South Florida.
- The Clinton campaign cut a powerful ad featuring former Miss Universe, Alicia Machado. In this ad, Machado, a hispanic icon, describes Trump’s verbal abusive behavior after she gained some weight. Machado explains, in Spanish, the eating disorder that she suffered from due to the scrutiny of Trump and the media.
- According to the Boston Globe, “Clinton is also heavily courting Puerto Rican voters in Florida, given the tens of thousands migrating off the island each year to escape its financial crisis. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens and can vote immediately.” “Caravanas” ride through the Puerto Rican-dense neighborhoods blaring salsa and reggaeton music waving Clinton campaign signs and Puerto Rican flags in order to stir up excitement for Hillary.
I believe that appeals such as these will be effective in gaining Hillary support among the young Hispanic demographic. However, in order to win this election, these efforts need to increase. Time is of the essence. The Hispanic millennials are not enthusiastic about Hillary, and she needs to give them reason to be. Through ads and blog posts and speeches, Hillary needs to show this group of millennials that she’s not just catering to them to gain their vote, that she actually cares about them and the issues that they stand for.
Through both candidates campaigns, targeting demographics like Hispanics has been a large majority of the campaigns efforts. These votes come from many swing states, but most importantly come from the swing state of Florida.
I find it interesting that the Hispanic vote is now considered a vote that is undetermined, just like the millennial vote. Had the Republican party chosen either Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio as the GOP candidate, then the Hispanic vote would have been dominantly Republican. I believe that Hispanics will be more likely to vote for Hillary Clinton opposed to Donald Trump, simply because of Trump’s rhetoric of the Hispanic community and immigration laws. Only time will tell, but I believe Hillary Clinton will gain the Hispanic vote over Trump.