Democrats are trying to rebuild trust among Latino voters and are turning to content creators for help. Above, voting stickers in Spanish reading “He Votado Hoy” (“I Voted Today”) at a Philadelphia polling place in 2019.
Matt Rourke/AP
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Matt Rourke/AP
Democrats lost the 2024 election in part because of the erosion of their support among Latino voters, a constituency that was once a reliable segment of their base.
In November of that year, Kamala Harris won the Latino vote by three points, according to the Pew Research Center. In 2020, Joe Biden carried them by 25 points.
This year, swing districts with large Hispanic populations could help decide which party controls the House. And Democrats are looking for ways to win back those voters.
A new effort comes from the campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, also known as the BOLD PAC. In February, they launched a program aimed at personally connecting social media influencers with voters.
“We’re turning to trusted voices in local communities who have followers who provide them with information and then allow them to create content in a way that is organic and authentic,” said Rep. Linda Sánchez, D-Calif., who chairs BOLD PAC.
This includes Latina content creator Alexa Flores, who has recently been posting mostly about beauty tips and fashion. But the Arizona resident turned to politics in response to the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
She says she wants Latino voters to understand the impact of their vote.
“My job is to make people understand that so they can move that needle,” said Flores, who has nearly 500,000 followers across his platforms.
His work now includes “get out the vote” events with BOLD PAC in swing districts across the country. Flores, for his part, will attend a wine tasting in Las Cruces, New Mexico – where Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez is engaged in a tight race against Republican Greg Cunningham. She will also appear at a Día de los Muertos event with lowriders and voters in Tucson, Arizona, where Marine veteran JoAnna Mendoza is trying to unseat GOP incumbent Juan Ciscomani.
BOLD PAC states that it does not pay content creators for their posts. Instead, they offer $1,500 stipends for flights, hotels and other travel expenses for each event.
Sánchez says content creators could help bridge a gap for his party. Thirty percent of Latinos regularly get their news from influencers on social media, according to the Pew Research Center. That’s more than any other demographic.
“So whether it’s… Instagram or YouTube or TikTok, that’s how they get their information,” she said. “So we need to be in these spaces.”
Rep. Linda Sánchez, D-Calif., chairs BOLD PAC. She says content creators can help bridge a gap for her party. Above, Sanchez speaks on immigration at the U.S. Capitol on May 10, 2023.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
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Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Democratic strategist Stephanie Valencia says Democratic efforts to regain long-term support from Latino voters will be an uphill battle. Valencia is co-founder of Equis Research, which estimates that about a third of Latinos are considered independent voters.
Among them, more than 40% believe neither party cares about people like them.
“A single election cycle will not solve the problem for Democrats and the crumbling trust with Latino voters that has developed over the last few election cycles,” Valencia said.
In 2024, Latinos shifted to the right in response to what they saw as liberal immigration policies and a focus on foreign intervention rather than domestic policy under former President Biden. That year, President Trump increased his party’s Latino vote share by double digits, to 48 percent, leaving Democrats with a slim majority, according to the Pew Research Center.
It’s these kinds of fluctuations that can cost a party close elections.
This year, BOLD PAC leaders sense opportunity, as they have seen a growing number of Latinos say they feel betrayed by President Trump’s immigration and economic policies.
Still, Valencia cautions that some Democratic campaigns continue to underestimate how “swinging” much of the Latino electorate is. In other words, they are coming with too little, too late, when it comes to campaign spending and messaging.
“Latinos are simply a more persuasive universe and cannot be treated as a base turnout universe for Democrats,” she said.
Solangie Hernandez Hollowell, a Texas influencer who also works with BOLD PAC, agrees. Like others, his posts often don’t even mention specific candidates, but they focus on issues Democrats are campaigning on this cycle — issues like taxes and immigration.
So she wants to help Latinos connect with candidates in a way that goes beyond the transactional.
“Latinos feel like politicians show up right before elections. I don’t feel like we feel very heard,” she said.
It therefore reflects what this political moment can mean for them.
“My main goal right now is to make sure that whatever is happening in the world reaches my family and my community in a way that they can understand it,” she said.
Flores, the Arizona influencer, says she hopes there’s more awareness that Latinos are having a growing impact on major parts of American life.
“The wave of Latinos that is growing in this country is becoming a stronger voice for a lot of things,” she said.
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