PHILADELPHIA, PA — On September 4th, Julie Chávez Rodríguez, national director of the Harris-Walz 2024 Campaign and granddaughter of Latino labor leader César Chávez, arrived in North Philadelphia for a historic event. The gathering brought together 150 Latino leaders from across Pennsylvania to hear Chávez Rodríguez present the campaign’s vision for Latinos in this key state and to share their most pressing concerns with her.
Among the groups she engaged with were members of Hispanic evangelical churches, Latino public officials, business owners, leaders of non-governmental organizations, college students and community organizers.
Rev. Luis Cortés, founder of the Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia, remarked: “This was a truly historic visit. I’ve been working in this community for more than forty years. I have not seen a national head of any presidential campaign visit El Barrio to hear directly from the community. It also shows the critical role Latinos in Philadelphia could play in elections. I’m grateful to Julie Chávez and to those who attended the forum. We will see how the community responds to the efforts in November.”
Before she visited Philadelphia, Julie Chávez spoke with Impacto in a Labor Day virtual interview, where she expressed her excitement to address the Latino community she is a part of.
As a former senior advisor to President Biden, she knows well that Latinos could play a decisive role in the upcoming elections. Though Latinos don’t vote as a bloc, their majority could tip the balance, especially among young Latinos, who represent the largest group reaching voting age but have shown apathy toward the process.
Intending to continue to prioritize firsthand engagement, Julie arrived this week in Philadelphia’s Latino neighborhood, predominantly Puerto Rican, to meet with various community representatives from the city and surrounding areas.
“It’s an honor to be here with the Latino community and also with different faith leaders,” she affirmed.
In her interview with Impacto during her visit to the city’s Latino neighborhood, Chávez Rodríguez shared why she feels excited and confident that her candidate, Kamala Harris, has a long history of advocating for the rights of Latinos and immigrants, as she is the daughter of immigrants.
“We’re thinking about some of the most important issues for our families right now… matters related to reducing costs, ensuring access to quality education, and affordable healthcare.” According to Julie, they are working to lower housing and rental costs and addressing other everyday challenges she believes families care about most.
She emphasized that Vice President Kamala Harris stands apart from previous administrations due to her background as a prosecutor. “As someone who advocated for people day in and day out in the courts, defending the rule of law… this is an important aspect she brings to the job. She continues to show that she’s fighting for the people. For our communities. For our families.”
The Harris-Walz campaign leader recognizes that one of the challenges is voter registration in many key states, particularly among young people aged 18 to 24 and Latina women, but she insists that this is changing. “We’re really encouraged by the voter registration rates we’re seeing right now. But we have to keep reaching out to young people, students, in their workplaces too… in the digital communities where they are… we have different ads in Spanglish because many of them are bicultural and bilingual.”
Latino voters, particularly in swing states that are not firmly Republican or Democrat, have drawn the attention of both candidates, who are in a tight race. Twenty-one percent of Latino voters are expected to head to the polls for the first time.
The challenge is considerable, as across the country, 55% of Latino voters report not having been contacted by either party about registering to vote.
The Latino community is the fastest-growing in Pennsylvania, with its presence having increased by 40% since 2010 in this state of 13 million people. In this election, nearly 600,000 Latinos are eligible to vote—almost seven times the margin of 82,000 ballots (1.17% of the total vote) by which Joe Biden won the state in 2020.
The Harris-Walz campaign is heavily investing in connecting with and winning over Latino voters. They’ve opened a WhatsApp channel and established more than 50 offices across the state, including in cities with significant Hispanic populations like Norristown, Reading, and Allentown.
Although the Harris campaign, which launched less than two months ago, has reclaimed some of the Latino vote that was shifting away from the Democrats under Biden, the so-called honeymoon period for Kamala Harris, as she steps into the presidential race, is coming to an end.
Trump has made gains over the past four years, and Hispanic voters traditionally turn out at lower rates than other voting groups.
In 2020, 69% of this electorate supported Joe Biden, while only 27% favored Trump. A Quinnipiac poll in August showed 49% leaning toward Harris—a significant increase from the 39% backing the Democratic ticket before Biden withdrew from the race, though still below what the party needs to win Pennsylvania, particularly among younger Latino men.
Recognizing that the Latino community is diverse, Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz are touring key states during Hispanic Heritage Month and the days following the first presidential debate. Harris will kick off the tour in North Carolina on Thursday, before returning to Pennsylvania on Friday, where she has been since the Monday leading up to the debate in Philadelphia.
From Thursday, September 12, to Sunday, September 15, the «A New Path Forward» tour will continue its campaign efforts.
Events will include over 50 Latino debate watch parties across the country, including Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas. These gatherings will take place in family homes, community centers, and small Latino-owned businesses. Additional events will range from rallies and community gatherings to bus tour stops, with more programming specifically aimed at key voting groups, culminating on the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month.
“These elections are about two very different visions for Latino families and our country. Donald Trump and JD Vance want to take us backward with the dangerous and extremist agenda of Project 2025. Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are fighting for a new path forward that protects our fundamental freedoms, strengthens our democracy, and ensures that everyone can pursue the American dream and not just survive but thrive,” said Maca Casado, Communications Director for the Harris-Walz Campaign Coalitions.
“With early voting about to start and less than 60 days until Election Day, our campaign is taking Vice President Harris’s message directly to Latino voters wherever they are: in the media, at their doors, and online—in Spanish, English, and Spanglish. With so much at stake in this election, we are investing in key states and putting everything on the line,” Casado concluded.
