The 2020 election marked the third straight presidential cycle in which Democrats lost ground with Latino voters. Considering the anti-immigrant rhetoric and anti-worker policies of the Trump administration, this is especially disconcerting. Still, Latinos represent over 20 percent of the Democratic coalition and Latinos under 35 remain the fastest-growing population of the overall electorate. The Latino vote is powerful and only growing. If progressive politicians and policies are to succeed, it will mean engaging the Latino community in new and innovative ways.
Thankfully, recognizing you have a problem is the first step towards recovery. Javelina’s strategists were fortunate to work with Latino voters on several projects throughout 2020. We saw where the progressive movement had fallen short. Today, we’re sharing what we saw – and the actionable strategies that you need to consider when you seek to reach Latino audiences.
The basic strategy
Like any good communications strategy, campaigns must start by understanding their target audiences. Conduct your own polling, review existing research (we like Analyst Institute and Latino Decisions) or do some real-time testing. For example, run A-version/B-version digital ads or emails that allow you to test messages against each other and see which are the most effective. Whatever you choose, we are certain you’ll discover the one thing that you should take from this blog:
Latinos are not a monolith. Your Latino communication strategies need to reflect that truth.
Just as campaigns conduct varied strategies with white voters, communications plans for Latinos should operate through the lens of targeted mobilization and persuasion – not a one-size-fits-all strategy. Latinos are as diverse as any other section of the electorate and engagement strategies must reflect that. Cuban-American voters in Florida differ from Mexican-American voters in Arizona. Latino voters in rural areas will have very different concerns than those in urban areas. Some Latinos will be in your persuasion universe, while others will get turnout tactics. Campaigns need to honor this diversity.
A successful communications strategy won’t treat Latinos as a single target audience, reached through buying space on Spanish channels and radio stations. Instead, we recommend segmenting into distinct target audiences. Microtarget by age, income, beliefs, identities, media behaviors, gender, education and geography. Taking the time to understand the unique segments of your audience allows you to design data-driven content and make well-informed strategic decisions.
The assumption that immigration is the #1 issue is outdated and damaging
Latinos care about their neighbors and their neighborhoods. They respond best to outreach that reflects those shared identities and backgrounds. That means it’s on campaigns to pay attention to the issues impacting Latino communities. For us, that meant highlighting a variety of policy issues. For example, it meant education for suburban Latinas across Colorado, and housing for Latino families in South Phoenix. In fact, in our work on Yassamin Ansari’s Phoenix City Council campaign, polling showed that issues related to rent and affordable housing are the top issues for Latinos. The data-driven messaging that ensued from our research and targeting paid off. Latinos have been engaging with our content at a rate 255 percent higher than the industry standard.
You might have noticed that our work this year didn’t include immigration. Immigration policy is not the end all, be all for Latino voters. While it’s important for a specific bloc of the Latino electorate, it should not be a front-and-center message that you’re blanketing across your communications to Latinos. Immigration divides Latino voters just as it does with the wider electorate, turning off some Latinos as much as it draws in others. Some experts point to the emphasis on immigration as one reason for the erosion of Latino support for Democratic candidates.
For instance, Democrats are losing the most support with Latino men between 34 and 55. Analysis and research have shown that when Democrats place race and immigration front and center, they have alienated these Latinos. Many of these men see themselves as assimilated, and therefore may primarily identify as white – or simply American. This voting bloc wants a Democratic candidate to highlight economic policies – specifically, those policies emphasize entrepreneurialism or means to become more financially independent. They may not have a ton in common with younger Latinos who often volunteer or work for Democratic candidates and/or left-leaning organizations.
This is not a call for Democrats to scale back the conversation around racial injustice and immigration – but a recommendation that as we refine any message delivered to white voters, we refine the messages we deliver to Latinos and move beyond outdated and homogeneous assumptions.
Translating into Spanish does not equal cultural competence
Another popular misconception is that the best way to reach Latino voters is to develop content in Spanish and buy ad space on Spanish-language channels. Even in campaigns that are targeted to Arizona Latinos, less than 20 percent of the audience speaks Spanish exclusively. That number drops below 5 percent in Colorado and many other states.
Again, there may actually be serious downsides to making the assumption that Latino = Spanish-speaker. Many times, folks who do not speak Spanish consider themselves assimilated and may even identify as white. When served with Spanish-language ads, they can assume they are not the intended audience and tune out. This is another opportunity to review the research and/or conduct your own to understand what parts of Latino culture best resonates with your voters. It could be language, but it could just as easily be family-themed content, patriotic imagery, or something else entirely. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that translating your content into Spanish is the only or most effective way to engage Latino voters.
Just like you can’t make assumptions about Latinos as a whole, you can’t build a Latino engagement program based on this blog alone. However, understanding that Latinos are an incredibly diverse audience and shedding some of the false assumptions that come from that mindset will put you on the path toward an intentional, data-driven, and effective Latino outreach program.
Looking to learn more? Contact the authors at josh.zaragoza@javelina.co and rob.duray@javelina.co.