Kelly Hayes
Priorities USA and Latino Victory Fund are launching a pair of radio ads in Florida in support of presidential candidate Joe Biden.
The one-minute ads, “Empatía” and “Milagro,” will run on Spanish-language radio as part of the $726,000 radio ad buy both groups announced this week. The ad buy also includes Arizona media markets, and it will air in Phoenix, Tucson and Orlando.
The ad buy is part of ongoing effort to engage Latino voters through a multi-channel media strategy — reaching them where they spend time and get information.
“Empatía” (Empathy) features two friends discussing Biden as empathetic, saying that he’s the best leader to rebuild the nation’s economy and effectively manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
In “Milagro” (Miracle) a Spanish-speaking narrator criticizes President Donald Trump’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, citing a quote from the President who stated that “a miracle” is needed to recover. The narrator emphasizes that in order to solve the problems caused by the pandemic, a leader like Biden is needed, referencing his work as Vice President during the 2014 Ebola epidemic.
According to a recent tracking poll from Latino Decisions, nearly 70% of Latino registered voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the pandemic.
“In Florida and Arizona, home to some of the largest Latinx populations in the nation, these radio spots continue to introduce Vice President Joe Biden to our community, as we remind them of Trump’s ineffective leadership,” said Luis A. Miranda Jr., Chairperson of the Latino Victory Fund. “This election will be decided by the Latino vote and we are doing everything we can during the most consequential election of our lives to ensure our community votes in its interests and not against.”
This ad buy comes as the latest move from the Biden campaign to win over Latino voters, an important population needed to take the swing state.
Earlier in September, Biden launched a television and digital ad, called “Dicen Mucho / They Say A lot” to target Latino families, which also criticized Trump’s response to the coronavirus and economic downturn.
The Democratic nominee’s campaign also released two radio ads to run in Florida, called “Arroz / Rice,” and “Corazón de la Economía / Heart of the Economy.”
“This election will be close. We’ve always known that Florida will be decisive in choosing our next president — and Latino voters will play a crucial role in Joe Biden’s winning coalition,” said Guy Cecil, Chairman of Priorities USA in a news release. “Priorities is proud to partner with Latino Victory Fund to take on a president whose failure to contain the coronavirus and keep Americans safe has disproportionately harmed the Latino community. We won’t take a single vote for granted.”
Priorities USA has invested $6.8 million in outreach to the Latino community across several mediums, including digital advertising. It is also running Spanish-language TV ads in Florida in partnership with the American Federation of Teachers.
A recent survey released Sept. 10 from St. Pete Polls shows Biden with a slight edge in the swing state.
The poll, commissioned by Florida Politics and AARP Florida, found almost 50% would vote for Biden if the election were held today. More than 47% would vote to reelect Trump. Less than 2% of voters remain undecided, the poll found, and about 2% will vote for a third-party candidate.
The polling also shows Hispanic Floridians favoring the the Democrat — Hispanic voters break 54% to 42% for Biden.
Nearly 57% of White voters favor Trump, while less than 41% plan to vote for Biden. But that’s the only racial demographic to favor the President. Asian and Pacific Islander voters go to Biden 51% to 46%, and 87% of Black voters like Biden compared to 9% for Trump.
Conducted on Sept. 7 and 8, the poll represents St. Pete Polls’ first post-political conventions results and the the first released after Labor Day.
