Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ campaign announced a “Hombres con Harris” effort this week that, as Univision Noticias reported, is “aimed at mobilizing the vote of Hispanic men in key states.” A USA Today/Suffolk University poll of Latinos in Nevada and Arizona shows Harris losing badly to Donald Trump with Latino men under 49 years old. In Nevada, according to that poll, Trump leads her by 13 points with Latino men ages 18-34 and by 14 points with those ages 35-49. Similarly, In Arizona, she trails Trump by 12 points with Latino men ages 18-34 and by a whopping 20 points with those 35-49. “Hombres con Harris” is a last-minute attempt to stop that gap from growing by a party that has historically failed to engage and invest in Latino men.
‘Hombres con Harris’ is a last-minute attempt by a party that has historically failed to engage and invest in Latino men.
Focused solely on Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania, the “Hombres con Harris” tour will feature vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and multiple Latino men, including Rep. Ruben Gallego, who’s running for the Senate from Arizona, and other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The tour will also feature digital creators and celebrities. In a statement, Harris’ campaign said, “At Latino-owned small businesses, sports bars, carnes asadas, union halls, and other community centered venues, the travel blitz will be focused on meeting Latino men where they are, in environments to discuss the issues that matter most to them and mobilize them to reach out to other Latino men, encouraging them to vote for Kamala Harris.”
Gallego, who’s leading in the polls as he seeks to become the first Latino U.S. senator from Arizona, made reaching out to Latino men in their own spaces a key campaign strategy. That strategy, which was seen as unique and effective, revealed a truth most Democrats do not want to admit: In states like Arizona and Nevada, where Latinos represent 25% and 20% of voters respectively, Democrats have historically done little to meet those voters where they are.
“It’s about investing in young Latinos,” Cristina Tzintzún Ramírez, president of NextGen America, said on MSNBC last month when discussing some of the trends the Harris campaign is facing with Latinos. According to that September NBC News/Telemundo/CNBC Latino poll, 59% of Latinos identified with the Democratic Party in 2016, but only 49% do in 2024.
As for Latino men, nationally, Harris still holds an advantage, as a Pew Research poll in late September shows her leading Trump with that demographic by 14 points. That’s a significant improvement from a previous Pew poll that had President Joe Biden tied at 38% with Trump with such voters. But Harris’ 14-point advantage with Latino men nationally is still less than the 17-point advantage Pew says Biden had over Trump with this demographic in 2020.
Part of the problem is that Democrats are struggling to excite new Latino voters, a point confirmed by a UnidosUS poll from earlier this year. According to a UnidosUS briefing about that poll, “younger voters are SIGNIFICANTLY more independent and less Democratic or Republican than more established voters.” In the specific case of Latino men, there is enough data out there to conclude that Democrats are underperforming with those men who aren’t college-educated.
In the meantime, the Trump campaign is tapping into a notion of masculinity and “bro” appeal that may highlight some voters’ unwillingness to vote for a woman.
However, placing the blame solely on Latino men is shortsighted. Democrats should have already been reaching out to them with more purpose. The “Hombres con Harris” effort is a start and might move some Latino men back toward Democrats before Election Day, but it’s not a viable long-term solution. Such a solution would involve deeper investments in Latino outreach efforts, and that takes time, more consistent commitment and a desire to listen to key concerns such as the cost of living and the economy
The Harris-Walz campaign should do its best with Latino men in the next month, but its better option may be to run up the score with Latina women.
The story about the USA Today/Suffolk University poll says that “Latina women of all ages prefer Harris to Trump. For example, 62% of Latinas ages 18-24 said they support Harris compared to 33% who said they support Trump.” The Harris-Walz campaign should do its best with Latino men, but its better option may be to run up the score with Latina women. When it comes to Latina women, Harris has a chance to dominate that vote. Voter registrations are up for Latinas in 2024. For example, advocacy group Voto Latino, which has formally endorsed Harris, said last month that its registration work has increased by 200% since Harris announced her candidacy. In 10 days at the end of July, the organization, which works to increase turnout among Latino voters, noted that 70% of its 50,000 registrations were women, with the most registrations happening in states like Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina and Florida. “If you go to college, you’re much more likely to be a Democrat, and if you don’t, you’re more likely to be a Republican,” Latino political strategist Mike Madrid told the Miami Herald last month. “It’s this new voter under 30, our men have not gone to college, and our women have, and it has manifested itself in our politics now.” “Hombres con Harris” won’t hurt, but more get-out-the-vote initiatives hyperfocused on Latinas is the smarter play for now. Maybe “Hombres con Harris” will help win some Latino men back in states like Arizona and Nevada. But it should have never gotten to the place where so many hombres feel left out and ignored.
Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder of "The Latino Newsletter" and co-editor of "Pressing Issues from Free Press." 
