Biden turns to Harris to win young and minority voters

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Speaking to a crowd speckled with latino faces and ticking off endorsements from the latino community, Vice President Kamala Harris talked about her family’s own immigration story, focusing on her mother, who first set foot on US soil at the age of 19 and went on to raise a daughter who became a historymaking figure.

“Like so many of the leaders in this room, my mother raised my sister and me to understand the value of hard work, the importance of community, and the responsibility that we each have to each other,” Harris told a crowd of about 200 on a recent Saturday afternoon here.

Carolina avila and her daughter grew emotional as they watched Harris, a fellow woman of color, speak of her background, the Biden administration’s accomplishments, and the work that remains. But avila, an immigrant from Chile, was concerned that Harris’s message — delivered to a roomful of loyal Democrats — would not resonate with friends and neighbors who are not already sold on the party’s promises.

“I’m worried,” said avila, 50, president of the local Chilean american association. “i think more work needs to be done to spread what we heard here, to educate the latino community. that has me worried.”

As the campaign for the white House intensifies, Harris has been thrust to the forefront of President Biden’s efforts to hang on to young and minority voters, groups that are vital to his reelection but that may be losing enthusiasm for his candidacy.

This month, Harris has championed a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants in nevada, discussed marijuana legalization in the white House with rapper Fat Joe, and called for a cease-fire in gaza at a commemoration of Bloody Sunday in alabama. On Friday, she was in Puerto Rico to highlight the administration’s support for the territory.

That sometimes leaves the two Democratic candidates — Biden, 81, and Harris, 59 — courting different parts of the coalition that helped Biden win the presidency. Biden won in 2020 in part by attracting moderate white voters wary of President trump. and while he also did well with people of color and young voters, recent polls show an erosion of support from those blocs.

Many in this camp seem more receptive to Harris’s outreach, judging by her recent appearances, but it is not clear whether that will be enough to win them back.

A recent new York timesSiena College poll found trump slightly leading Biden with latinos, by 6 percentage points, after 2020 exit polls showed Biden winning this group by 33 points. in 2020 exit polls, Black voters favored Biden by 75 points, but the recent poll found Biden’s current margin at 43 points, with 66 percent supporting him and 23 percent backing trump.

In interviews, many of these voters expressed frustration with Biden’s handling of a variety of issues, including the israel-gaza war, inflation, voting rights, and immigration. Some have raised questions about what exactly Biden has done for them in his first term, often fretting about the rising cost of living.

Increasingly, Biden’s team hopes Harris can provide an answer to these concerns.

In addition to stops in latino-heavy Phoenix and north las Vegas, Harris has been headlining events on reproductive freedom. last year, she visited colleges with large Black and latino populations, often turning out big crowds. in each case, she comes armed with talking points on how Biden has helped minorities and appeals to help him finish the job.