President Biden is scheduled to visit Nevada and Arizona this week to promote his economic policies and critique Republicans on immigration and abortion as he aims to bolster support among the Latino electorate in these crucial battleground states.
His trip will start in Reno, Nev., where he will highlight his economic agenda and condemn former President Donald J. Trump’s stance on abortion rights. He will then travel to Las Vegas to discuss his efforts to reduce housing costs before heading to Phoenix to make a manufacturing announcement. Subsequently, Mr. Biden will travel to Texas for campaign events.
The purpose of this trip is to address what polls have identified as three major challenges for Mr. Biden — the economy, immigration, and declining support among Latino voters. It coincides with the president adopting a more assertive tone as he enters the general election campaign against Mr. Trump.
Mr. Biden will focus on engaging Latino voters, who have shown growing interest in Mr. Trump. His campaign will feature interviews with the president on radio stations targeting Latino audiences, launch an organizing initiative to mobilize Latino voters, and criticize Republicans for their stance on abortion rights and their rejection of a bipartisan immigration package that includes measures to enhance border security.
Julie Chávez Rodríguez, Mr. Biden’s campaign manager, emphasized the importance of the Latino vote in the upcoming election and highlighted the campaign’s commitment to rallying Latino voters against Mr. Trump’s anti-Latino policies.
The Democratic party has relied heavily on Latino voters in states like Nevada and Arizona, which could influence the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. While Mr. Biden won these states in 2020, Mr. Trump has garnered support from various segments of the diverse Latino electorate, including evangelicals and those prioritizing border security.
Surveys indicate that Mr. Trump is gaining significant support among Latino voters, surpassing levels unseen in the Republican party for two decades. Some polls even suggest Mr. Trump is ahead of Mr. Biden among Latino voters after Mr. Biden secured nearly 60 percent of their vote in the last election.
Mr. Biden’s campaign is prepared to confront the issue of immigration, which is critical in both Nevada and Arizona. Immigration and border security were once perceived as vulnerabilities by the White House but are now being used to differentiate Mr. Biden’s policies from Mr. Trump’s.
Addressing the politics of immigration requires Mr. Biden to strike a balance between discussing border security measures and advocating for a pathway to citizenship, according to John Tuman, a political science professor focusing on the Latino electorate in Nevada.
While Mr. Biden has taken a more conservative stance on immigration, voters in Nevada are also interested in broader immigration reform, Mr. Tuman noted. Latino voters in particular want to see progress in the economy, including job creation and affordable housing.
During his address on housing in Las Vegas, Mr. Biden will call on Congress to pass a mortgage relief credit providing first-time homeowners with a $10,000 tax credit. However, the President’s influence on mortgage rates is limited as they are largely determined by the Federal Reserve.
