>> THE RAZOR THIN MARGINS OF
WISCONSIN ELECTIONS MEANS
NEITHER POLITICAL PARTY CAN TAKE
ANY VOTER FOR GRANTED.
LEADING UP TO THE MIDTERMS,
DOCTDEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS AE
MAKING THEIR APPEALS TO HISPANIC
AND LATINO VOTERS WITH MORE THAN
SPEAKING A FEW LINES OF SPANISH
AT A RALLY, BUT WITH EXPENSE I
AND LABOR-INTENSIVE DOOR-TO-DOOR
CAMPAIGNS.
MARISA WOJCIK BRINGS US THE
STORY.
>> THE LATINX VOTE IS VERY
IMPORTANT AND IT'S BEEN VERY
CRITICAL IN WISCONSIN IN THE
LAST MJOR RACES IN 2018 AND
2020.
>> LIKE EVERY ELECTION SEASON,
CAMPAIGNS ARE GETTING OUT AND
TALKING TO VOTERS.
BUT THIS YEAR'S MIDTERM
ELECTIONS HAVE A PARTICULAR
FOCUS ON THE HISPANIC AND LATINO
VOTE IN WISCONSIN.
>> OUTREACH HAS BEEN SHOWN TO
MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
ESPECIALLY DOOR-TO-DOOR
CAMPAIGNS.
>> WE DECIDED TO START
MOBILIZING THE LATINX VOTE.
>> CNN CNN IS THE CHRISTINE
NUEMAN ORTIZ IS THE DIRECTOR OF
VOCES DE LA FRONTERA AND THE ARM
OF THEIR ORGANIZATION ENDORSES
CANDIDATES.
>> CANDIDATES THAT STAND WITH US
ON IMMIGRANT AND RACIAL JUSTICE,
WORKERS RIGHTS, AND EDUCATION
RIGHTS.
>> FOR VOCES, THOSE CANDIDATES
HAVE BEEN DEMOCRATS.
AND HISTORICALLY HISPANIC AND
LATINO VOTERS HAVE FAVORED THIS
PARTY.
>> THEY VOTE FOR THE DEMOCRATS
AND IT'S BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT.
>> BEN MARQUEZ IS A POLITICAL
SCIENCE PROFESSOR.
SPECIALIZING IN CHICANO AND
LATINO STUDIES.
>> THE DEMOCRATS HAVE TO HAVE A
GOOD STRATEGY FOR REACHING OUT
TO LATINO VOTES.
THEY HAVE TO MAKE CONTACT ON THE
GROUND.
THEY HAVE TO CONVINCE THEM THAT
THE ELECTION IS IMPORTANT, THAT
THEIR VOTE MATTERS, AND THAT
THEY SHOULD GO TO ALL OF THIS
TROUBLE TO GET OUT AND VOTE FOR
A PARTY THAT OFTENTIMES IT
DOESN'T DELIVER.
>> WHEN DEMOCRATS DON'T DELIVER,
SUPPORT FOR THEM ISN'T
GUARANTEED.
>> IN 2020, WE ACTUALLY HAD TO
DROP OFF OF LATINO PARTICIPATION
COMPARED TO 2016.
PEOPLE DIDN'T WANT TO JUST
REJECT TRUMP, L LATINOS LIKE OTR
VOTERS, WANT TO KNOW, WHAT DO
YOU OFFER?
WHAT IS THE CHANGE THAT YOU
OFFER?
>> ENTER REPUBLICANS.
>> HISPANIC VOTERS HAVE BEEN,
BASICALLY, BEEN TAKEN GRANTED BY
DEMOCRATS.
>> FLORIDA SENATOR RICK SCOTT
CHAIRS THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN
SENATOR CORRAL COMMITTEE.
AND LAUNCHED THE OPERACION VAMOS
CAMPAIGN IN BATTLEGROUND STATES.
>> THEY HAVE TO GET ENOUGH TO
DENY THE DEMOCRATS AN ELECTION.
>> CONSERVATIVES BELIEVE THEY
HAVE MORE TO OFFER BASED ON THE
TOP ISSUES FOR HISPANIC AND
LATINO VOTERS.
>> NUMBER ONE IS JOBS.
NUMBER TWO IS JOBS.
AND THAT'S NUMBER THREE AS WELL.
>> IT'S THEIR LIVELIHOOD, IT'S
THEIR FAITH, IT'S THEIR KIDS,
AND IT'S THE SAFETY OF THEIR
COMMUNITIES WHAT THEY ARE
FOCUSED ON.
>> REPUBLICANS HAVE A FEW
STRATEGIES IN THEIR CAMPAIGN.
THE FIRST IS ON ISSUES.
AT THE DOORS IN SOUTH MILWAUKEE,
HELDER TOSTE DOESN'T NEED TO
PROMPT ANYONE ABOUT CANDIDATES,
ELECTIONS, OR EVEN THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY, HE SIMPLY
ASKS, WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT IN
THEIR LIVES?
[ SPEAKING IN LANGUAGE OTHER
THAN ENGLISH ]
>> THEY HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING
AND THERE ARE A LOT OF ACCIDENTS
HERE ON THIS ROAD.
CARS DRIVE FAST LIKE IT WAS A
FREEWAY AND, TRULY, IT'S
DANGEROUS.
THEY COME OUT TO PLAY AND
SUDDENLY THE BALL GOES.
AND A CAR IS GOING BY AND IT'S
VERY SERIOUS, VERY DANGEROUS.
[ SPEAKING IN LANGUAGE OTHER
THAN ENGLISH ]
>> I HAVE A SON WHO IS HYPER
ACTIVE IN A SPECIAL CLASS AND
THEY GOT RID OF ALL OF THIS HELP
IN THE CLASS IN THE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.
>> ASSAULTS, SHOOTINGS,
ROBBERIES, IT HAS INCREASED A
LOT.
MORE THAN ANYTHING, IT'S SAFETY
BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU ARE SEEING
WHAT IS HAPPENING AND YOU START
TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN.
>> THE SECOND STRATEGY POINTS A
FINGER AT THE PARTY CURRENTLY IN
POWER.
>> DO YOU THINK THE PRESIDENT
HAS DONE HIS JOB?
GOOD JOB?
OR BAD JOB?
>> A BAD JOB.
BECAUSE HE HASN'T ACCOMPLISHED
WHAT HE PROMISED.
>> THEY NEED RESULTS MORE THAN
THEY NEED PARTY LOYALTY.
>> AND FINALLY, PERHAPS MOST
ESSENTIAL, YOU HAVE TO SHOW UP.
>> YOU'VE LIVED HERE FOR 20
YEARS, HAS A POLITICAL PARTY
EVER CALLED YOU OR CONTACTED
YOU?
>> NOTHING.
>> AND WHERE DO YOU THINK THAT
COMES FROM?
>> WELL, TRULY BECAUSE WE ARE
MEXICANS.
THEY DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO US.
>> HISPANIC VOTERS ARE WAY MORE
INCLINED TO VOTE REPUBLICAN, AS
LONG AS REPUBLICANS REACH OUT
AND TALK TO THEM.
THEY ARE FED UP WITH THE PUBLIC
SCHOOL SYSTEM AROUND THE COUNTRY
RIGHT NOW.
THEY WANT A BETTER ECONOMIC
MARKET.
THEY DON'T WANT TO SEE
INFLATION.
THEY WANT TO LIVE IN SAFE
COMMUNITIES.
IF WE TALK ABOUT THOSE ISSUES,
THEN WE ARE GOING TO WIN
ELECTIONS.
>> ONE ISSUE THAT MAY SEEM
COUNTER INTUITIVE FOR HISPANIC
AND LATINOS TO SUPPORT
REPUBLICANS ON IS IMMIGRATION.
MARIA SAYS IMMIGRATION IS THE
MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR HER AND
WHY SHE IS A DEMOCRAT.
[ SPEAKING IN LANGUAGE OTHER
THAN ENGLISH ]
>> IT IS SOMETHING THAT HURTS.
BECAUSE WE CAME THE SAME WAY.
WE GOT LUCKY.
BUT WE ARE THE SAME.
>> MARQUEZ SAYS THIS IS TIED TO
THE IMMIGRANT IDENTITY HAS BEEN
SHOWN TO FADE OVER TIME.
>> WITH EACH SUCCEEDING
GENERATION OF LATINOS LIVING IN
THE UNITED STATES, THE FURTHER
AWAY THEY GET FROM THAT, AND SO
THE LATINOS HAD VOTED, YOU KNOW,
VOTED FOR DONALD TRUMP AND HIS
ANTI-IMMIGRATION POLICY, SAW
WHAT BORDER ENFORCEMENT WAS, AND
HEARD ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW
IMMIGRANTS ARE BEING TREATED,
BUT THEY LOOK AT AND THAT AND
SAY, WELL, THAT IS NOT ME.
>> EVEN MARIA SAYS ONE OF HER
CHILDREN IS REPUBLICAN.
>> MOST OF MINE IS DEMOCRATS.
I KNOW OLDEST IS NOT.
>> THAT IS NOT TO SAY THE
DEMOCRATS DON'T HOLD THE
ADVANTAGE.
>> TWO OUT OF THREE LATINO
VOTERS SEE THE VALUE IN A LARGE
SOCIAL WELFARE STATE, CIVIL
RIGHTS PROTECTION, AND THEY ARE
WILLING TO PAY FOR THESE THINGS.
>> THE HISPANIC AND LATINO
POPULATION HAS BEEN ONE OF THE
FASTEST GROWING IN THE UNITED
STATES.
MAKING THIS SHIFTING VOTING
BLOCK ALL THE MORE CRUCIAL.
>> FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS IN
WISCONSIN, LATINOS HAVE BEEN THE
LARGEST SEGMENT OF GROWTH.
>> ABOUT HALF, IF NOT MORE NOW,
OF ALL WISCONSIN DARE ROADWAY DS
ARE LATINOS.
THEY ARE FILLING THE VOID.
>> IN A STATE LIKE WISCONSIN
WHERE ELECTIONS ARE FAMOUSLY
CLOSE, CAMPAIGNS ARE TRYING TO
REACH EVERY COMMUNITY, EVERY
VOTER, OR EVERY PERSON WHO KNOWS
A VOTER.
>> THERE IS A GENERATION OF
CHILDREN OF UNDOCUMENTED PARENTS
WHO ARE TURNING 18 EVERY YEAR
THAT IS SIGNIFICANT.
11,000 IN 2020 TURNED 18,
ELIGIBLE TO VOTE FOR THE FIRST
TIME, THOSE PARENTS ARE
UNDOCUMENTED.
IN A STATE WHERE THE MARGIN IS
18,000 TO 23,000.
THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S
DECISIVE.
BUT IF THEY FEEL THAT THE
DEMOCRATS ARE NOT DOING ENOUGH,
THEN THEY FEEL LIKE DROPPING
OUT.
>> IN ESSENCE, TURNOUT MATTERS.
>> BUT WE HAVE TO SHOW UP.
CANDIDATES HAVE TO SHOW UP AND
WE HAVE TO TALK TO VOTERS.
ALL VOTERS.
>> IF THEY MAKE AN END ROAD TO
THE LATINO POPULATION, THEY'VE
GOT A WINNING FORMULA.
>> REPORTING FOR HERE AND NOW
I'M MARISA WOJCIK.