Christian Ulvert headlines new Florida hires to help Joe Biden expand Hispanic outreach

Amid concerns the Joe Biden campaign could under-perform with Hispanic voters, Biden is hiring a series of new staff members to beef up the campaign’s outreach efforts in Florida.

Leading those new hires is Christian Ulvert, who will serve as the Biden campaign’s strategic advisor in Florida. Ulvert said Friday he was “excited and honored” to join Biden’s team.

Ulvert is based out of South Florida and is the founder and president of Edge Communications, a consulting firm. He’s an experienced advisor, having worked on many Democratic campaigns in the state. He currently serves as a senior advisor and top strategist for the Daniella Levine Cava Miami-Dade mayoral campaign.

Ulvert is of Nicaraguan descent and formerly worked as a political director of the Florida Democratic Party. Among Ulvert’s many past clients are former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and current Mayor Dan Gelber. He worked on Levine’s run for Governor last year before jumping to Andrew Gillum’s staff to handle Spanish-language media.

Ulvert also advised Janet Cruz during her nail-biter of a win in Senate District 18 last fall, and aided Annette Taddeo in a pair of victories in Senate District 40.

Biden’s campaign is also bringing in several other new hires to help boost Hispanic outreach in Florida.

Josh Romero will take on the title of coalitions strategic advisor. Mariana Castro will bring her digital background into a new role as the Hispanic vote director with a focus on statewide outreach.

Chris Wills and Denise Lugo will also serve as Hispanic vote directors. Wills, a former Republican operative, will focus on South Florida. Lugo, whose expertise is with Puerto Rican outreach, will focus on that community as well as Central Florida.

The hires come following polls showing Biden under-performing with Hispanics in Florida as compared to former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton‘s 2016 performance. President Donald Trump is hoping to narrow margins among the Black and Hispanic communities to chip away at Biden’s lead in the polls.

The new Biden hires follow Florida campaign vet Javier Cuebas, who is helping to lead Biden’s Hispanic outreach after being hired in early August.