‘I want you to be able to get ahead’: Harris makes her case to Latino voters in Univision town hall

Undecided Latinos told Harris what’s worrying them and asked about her plans in a televised town hall. Harris said she was focused on addressing price gouging, expanding the Child Tax Credit, and building more affordable housing to help lower the cost of living.

Vice President Kamala Harris had a chance to talk directly to undecided Latino voters on Thursday during a town hall held by Univision in Las Vegas, where audience members asked her about her plans on the economy, immigration, health care, and more. 

The Noticias Univision Presents: Latinos Ask, Kamala Harris Responds town hall will air across the country Thursday evening. The network is holding a similar town hall with former President Donald Trump next week in Florida. 

Ten of the about 100 undecided Latino voters in the audience from across the country got to ask Harris questions and share their concerns. Nationally, inflation and cost of living remain the top issue by a large margin, followed by jobs, housing affordability, and immigration reform. 

For Wendy Solares, a 37-year-old mom of five who lives in Los Angeles, the cost of utilities and groceries has continued to increase, she said, even though inflation is technically going down. Solares asked Harris what she would do to help the middle class — an issue Harris often talks about during her rallies and appearances. 

“Part of what we have to do is build what I call an opportunity economy, where people have the opportunity, like you had described, for you to be able to work hard … without having to worry about just getting by, I want you to be able to get ahead,” Harris said, adding that addressing price gouging, expanding the Child Tax Credit, and working with the private sector to build more affordable housing is part of her plan. 

“All of this is about building opportunity for people, and in particular, the middle class as a whole community, knowing that when you just lift up a little bit of the weight, people thrive and we all benefit,” she told Solares.

For Ivett Castillo, 40, who lives in Las Vegas, the issues of immigration and health care are top of mind and intertwined, as her mom recently passed away while in the process of becoming a legal resident. She asked Harris what her plans are for immigration reform, making the path to citizenship easier to navigate, and protecting the rights — including the health care — of those who “live and die in the shadows.”

Harris said that in 2021, she and Biden presented Congress a bill that aimed to “fix the immigration system, including creating a comprehensive, urgent pathway to citizenship for our working people,” but it failed to pass. 

“And now we look at a situation where people are suffering. The reality is that in terms of having access to health care, had your mother been able to gain citizenship, she would have been entitled to health care, that would have alleviated her suffering and yours,” Harris said. “And this is one example of the fact that there are real people who are suffering because of the inability to put solutions in front of politics.” 

Harris’ effort to persuade Latinos that she’s the best candidate for president comes as the Latino electorate plays a bigger and bigger role with each election. 

Latinos are now the second largest voting bloc in the US and continue to experience historic growth, according to a Hispanic Federation report. Latinos are projected to account for nearly 15% of all eligible voters this election of which about 25% will be voting for the very first time. In Nevada, about one in five voters is Latino or Hispanic. Latinos also make up about 30% of the state population. 

The Hispanic Federation report also found that the majority of Latino voters “do not feel well informed on candidates’ policy proposals and platforms,” so campaigns are ramping up efforts to reach the Latino electorate, which often does not have strong party loyalty.

Seventy-year-old voter Mario Sigbaum, who lives in Santa Monica, Calif., but has roots in Uruguay, is among those without strong party loyalty. He said he has previously voted for Democrats and Republicans, and is really undecided this time around. Sigbaum said he was especially concerned with the way that President Joe Biden was “pushed aside” by the party when Harris became the presidential nominee in July. 

“President Biden made a decision that I think history will show was probably one of the most courageous that a president could make. He decided to put the country above his personal interest,” Harris said. “He supported my candidacy. And urged me to run. And I am honored to have the endorsement of people from every walk of life.”

Harris added that she has received support from many Republicans who are against Trump’s plans and told Sigbaum to consider that, too. 

“It is incredibly important —  and I can see you are a patriot — that we have the President of the United States who honors the oath that they take to support the Constitution of the United States,” Harris said, mentioning that Trump has previously said he wants to be dictator on day one of a second term. Many Latino voters fled dictatorships in their home countries. 

“And what that means is that [dictators are] taking the freedoms from their people. I believe that the stakes right now are extraordinarily high,” Harris continued. “But this is an unusual time, where we literally have a choice as the American people about choosing a path: either that is about rule of law, democracy, or something that is about admiring dictators and autocracy.”

In the last question, Teresa Djedro, 48, asked the vice president to list three virtues that Trump has to try to humanize Harris.

“What pains me is the approach Donald Trump has on others, the finger pointing, it’s us versus them and using language that is belittling people, calling them names … I don’t think that’s healthy for our nation, and I don’t admire that,” Harris said. “I think Donald Trump loves his family and I think that’s very important. I think family is one of the most important things that we can prioritize. But I don’t really know him. I’ve only met him one time on the big stage.”