A $5 million dollar initiative supported by a host of Latino actors and activists is mobilizing Latinas to vote around climate change in the upcoming midterms. Latino Victory Project has announced that the Vote Like A Madre campaign is returning to mobilize Latina voters in the southwest around the pressing, life-altering issue.
“With nearly 60 percent of Latinas saying that they would support candidates who champion initiatives to combat climate change, Vote Like A Madre calls on madres to demand that candidates have bold plans and commit to make progress towards finding practical solutions to address climate change,” a release said.
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“Polling conducted ahead of the 2022 midterm elections indicate that climate change continues to be a priority issue for Latinos nationwide and for a growing concern for Latinos in Arizona, Colorado and Nevada,” Latino Victory Project said. Indeed, Pew Research Center polling last year said that Latinos were more likely than non-Latinos to name climate change “a top concern to me personally.”
“Latinos are also disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change, from droughts to wildfires to record-breaking heat, their health and livelihood are all on the line when it comes to climate change,” Latino Victory Project continued. “Vote Like a Madre will focus on the urgency for Latinas to mobilize on this issue,” with initial funds to be spent on “digital, social media, radio and influencer platforms,” and “robust GOTV direct voter contact.”
Latino Victory Project, cofounded by actor and activist Eva Longoria in 2014, said that 1 million Latinas live in Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado alone, “and can have a significant impact on the midterm elections.” Latino and Indigenous activists in particular helped flip Arizona for the first time in nearly 25 years and secure the election of Sen. Mark Kelly, who helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act. That bill marks a historic win when it comes to combating climate change.
The award-winning Vote Like A Madre campaign originally kicked off in 2020, and is supported by leading actors and activists, including Emmy winner America Ferrera, Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose, multiaward winning Lin-Manuel Miranda, and One Day at a Time reboot showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellet. (Click here for a full list of supporters.)
“Latina moms are leaders in their families, the workforce and our communities, but they also exert tremendous power as voters,” said Nathalie Rayes, Latino Victory Project president and CEO. “Nearly 60 percent of Latinas support candidates that support initiatives to combat climate change, so we have a key opportunity to mobilize this powerful electorate to vote for climate change action in November. As mothers, we want nothing more than a clean, safe environment so our children can live healthy, prosperous lives with clean air, water, and a stable climate.
“So, in this election, I call on my fellow madres and madre figures to make a pinky promise to their children to demand candidates have bold plans to combat the climate crisis,” Rayes continued. “Together, we can elect a government that will protect our children by taking action on the climate emergency.”
Previous polling commissioned by Voto Latino in more than half a dozen battleground states has also found that Latino voters are firmly in support of gun violence reform and abortion access. The online polling, commissioned by Voto Latino and conducted by Change Research, found that 86% of Latinos feel that mass shootings are “either a crisis or major issue,” and support background checks on all guns, banning the sale of high-capacity magazines, and banning the sale of assault weapons. “Over two-thirds of Latinos support the right to an abortion in all or most cases,” findings said.
Abortion rights, gun safety, and the our planet are all at stake in this election. We must persuade Democratic voters to turn out in November. Click here to volunteer with Vote Forward and write personalized letters to targeted voters on your own schedule from the comfort of your own home, without ever having to talk to anyone.
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