Biden campaign pushes for Latino voter support in Arizona as candidacy concerns swirl
GLENDALE, Ariz. - President Joe Biden’s campaign continued as normal this past weekend in Arizona as organizers pushed for Latino and young voter support amid a whirlwind of concerns about his candidacy.
A few dozen Biden supporters sat in booths at Tulum Modern Mexican restaurant Saturday in Glendale wearing a mix of Biden-Harris T-shirts and soccer jerseys at a watch party for the Uruguay-Brazil Copa América match.
Latina Phoenix resident Maggie Greenberg, 73, said she watched Biden’s debate performance. She said the demands for him to withdraw from the 2024 race were ridiculous.
“I’m here for Joe Biden,” she said. “If you want Biden to step down, you’re not a Democrat.”
Since the presidential debate June 27, intense discussions about Biden's performance and his future have percolated, and a few top Democrats have called publicly for him to settle for one term in office. From Arizona, U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva urged Biden to give up his reelection bid.
Biden said in a prime-time TV interview on ABC Friday that he is staying in the presidential race against former President Donald Trump.
In Arizona, Latino voters are an important voter bloc as one-quarter of all eligible voters in the state.
Arizona primary 2024: What to know about federal, state and local races
The Pew Research Center describes how Latinos are critical to the outcome of elections. Since the 2020 election, they are the second-fastest growing racial and ethnic group of eligible voters. By percentage growth, Asian American eligible voters have risen 15%; Latino eligible voters, 12%, and Black eligible voters, 7%.
Biden’s campaign also pushed Latino voter support through an advertisement during the soccer tournament. The seven-figure ad buy slams Trump for his COVID-19 policies and handling of the economy.
Latino voter outreach from Democratic candidates is also widespread in other races in Arizona. U.S. Senate candidate Ruben Gallego held a Copa América watch party Saturday afternoon in Avondale with more than 150 supporters. Gallego recently launched a Spanish-language TV ad about his identity and policy priorities.
Jocelyn Guzman, 25, of Phoenix, said as a Latina, she’s voting for Biden because of the people who are on his team who represent her identity.
"It’s like the overall picture,” she said. “I think for Latinos the biggest talking point is immigration. With the executive order, I think we are seeing it takes time, but with patience and time things are passing.”
The executive order, announced in June, caps asylum processing on the U.S.-Mexico border if the number of migrant encounters goes above 2,500 per day weekly.
Guzman, who said she watched the Biden-Trump debate, said candidates for president should be younger. The presidential candidates are the oldest in history, with Biden at 81 years old and Trump at 78.
Latino voter Jose Medrano, 25, of Phoenix, said regardless of the candidates' ages, the stakes are higher than ever in this upcoming election.
“Biden is the best choice. He has the best interest for America as a whole, and I think that performance in itself, at least for me, wasn’t going to change anything,” Medrano said.
“Latinos con Biden-Harris" and “Vamos Biden” posters were scattered on the walls of the restaurant.
Sen. Flavio Bravo, D-Phoenix, and Arizona House Minority Leader Lupe Contreras, D-Avondale, spoke at the packed restaurant in Spanish and English to push Latino voters to cast ballots this November.
Bravo said voters to whom he has talked about Biden’s debate performance understand the work he’s put in during the past three years.
He highlighted the importance of Biden’s recent executive order.
“We especially don’t want to go back to what we faced during the Trump administration,” he said.
Contreras said efforts to gather Latino voter support are crucial to win elections on the state and federal level.
“The people from Latin America that live here in this country — it's an impactful part,” Contreras said. “They’ve made a difference thus far, and they are going to make a difference this election.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Biden campaign rallies for Latino, young voter support