The campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) is looking to the Florida candidate likely to be the first Gen Z member of Congress to help inspire young Latino voters in New Mexico and Texas. Politico reports that the caucus’ BOLD PAC “is spending six figures and releasing two digital ads” featuring Maxwell Frost, the 25-year-old Afro-Latino candidate running for Florida’s 10th district.
One is a Spanish-language ad that mentions Frost and encourages voters to make an Election Day plan. The second is a cafecito—a coffee talk—featuring Frost himself. The candidate discusses “Democratic legislative priorities such as abortion and immigration and calling out Republican disinformation.”
RELATED STORY: Florida Democratic candidate Maxwell Frost could be the nation’s first Gen Z rep elected to Congress
Politico reports that the BOLD PAC ads will run in New Mexico’s 2nd district, where Democrat Gabe Vasquez is challenging Republican incumbent Yvette Herrell, and in Texas’ 15th district, where Democrat Michelle Vallejo and Republican Monica De La Cruz are vying for the open seat vacated by Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, who is seeking office in a redrawn district. While that report said that De La Cruz is favored to win the Texas race, New Mexico’s is a toss-up.
“The ads, featuring a candidate who's not even running in the aforementioned districts ... showcases an across-the-aisle effort to bring younger, Latino voters to the poll,” Politico reported.
It’s a part of a bold (pun intended) effort by the political arm in the final weeks and days of the 2022 midterms. BOLD PAC announced last month an additional $2.4 million investment to support Latino campaigns as part of its Our Lucha effort, bringing total investments to nearly $6 million.
“The transfer comes as BOLD PAC has already made the largest direct investments in Latino campaigns in its history,” a release received by Daily Kos last month said. “Ads during the 2022 cycle highlight the strong record of Latino candidates delivering on issues like ending the pandemic and lowering costs for working families while emphasizing Republicans’ dangerous extremism on issues like gun safety and abortion.” The group touted investments that helped secure victories by Frost and candidates in California and Oregon.
In the statement, BOLD PAC chair Ruben Gallego noted that fundamental freedoms like abortion access are on the ballot this November. Last month, he announced a two-part YouTube video series on GOP forced-birth efforts. The segments featured Gen-Z for Change activist Olivia Julianna, “who raised over $2 million for abortion rights this past summer, after being publicly shamed by Republican Matt Gaetz,” a release received by Daily Kos at the time said. “Olivia discusses the importance of fighting to protect the right to choose.”
“While House Democrats have passed the Women’s Health Protection Act which would codify Roe, Republicans continue to push efforts to control a woman's choice about her body,” Gallego said in that statement.
Latino voters in more than half a dozen battleground states have said they’re firmly in support of abortion access, according to polling commissioned by Voto Latino and conducted by Change Research this past summer. “Over two-thirds of Latinos support the right to an abortion in all or most cases.” Polling was conducted after the right-wing Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision was leaked, and released just hours before it officially gutted federal protections for abortion rights. The polling found a majority of respondents paid attention to the leaked decision and said it made them more motivated to vote.
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