Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned round southwestern states this week as they sought to shore up the Latino vote with solely 5 days till Election Day.

Latino voters account for %14.7 of all eligible voters within the upcoming election, based on Pew Research Center. New Mexico, the place Trump campaigned on Thursday, has the best share of Latino voters with round 45% the inhabitants. The states with the subsequent largest share of Latino voters embrace California, Texas, Arizona and Nevada. Whereas California is reliably blue and Texas reliably crimson, Arizona and Nevada, the place Harris held her rallies, are battleground swing states.

Though Democrats are likely to have a historic benefit amongst Latino voters, that benefit has declined over the previous 4 presidential cycles, based on a nationwide NBC News/Telemundo/CNBC poll from September, particularly as Trump makes strides with Latino men. One of many huge causes behind this, based on specialists, is inflation and the price of dwelling disaster, two points on which voters are likely to belief Trump over Harris.

“So I am right here for one easy motive. I such as you very a lot, and it is good for my credentials with the Hispanic or Latino neighborhood,” Trump advised the group in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Thursday, earlier than asking them to not make him “waste a complete rattling half a day right here.”

The state is blue-leaning; President Joe Biden received in 2020 by 10.8 factors and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received by 8.3 factors in 2016. However Trump thinks he can shift it,

“We virtually received it twice, and let me let you know, I imagine we received it twice,” Trump stated of the outcomes of the presidential election out of New Mexico in 2020 and 2016, suggesting that the votes had been rigged and that he believes he can win the state this 12 months.

“One of many greatest causes we are going to win this state is that you’ve got among the many worst border issues of any state in America, and I’m the one one which is aware of tips on how to repair it,” Trump stated. 

However the Trump marketing campaign additionally discovered itself in the course of an argument this previous week that might dampen his assist amongst Latino voters, when comic Tony Hinchcliffe made racist remarks about Latinos at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.

Hinchcliffe joked that Latinos “love making infants” and he referred to as Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage.” And whereas marketing campaign officers had been fast to distance Trump from these remarks, the previous President himself has but to personally apologize for them.

Though Trump’s speech in New Mexico centered largely round immigration and border safety, a latest CNBC ballot rated the difficulty as solely the fourth most vital space of concern for Latino voters, nicely behind inflation, jobs and threats to democracy. Even then, the ballot confirmed that extra Latinos imagine immigration helps the nation greater than it hurts it. However the ratio was the smallest since 2006. 

In the meantime, Harris held three rallies in Phoenix, Arizona, and in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada, the place she introduced an financial pitch to the voters whereas additionally taking jabs at Trump’s stance on immigration.

“With 5 days left on this marketing campaign, my opponent can be making his closing argument to America. It’s an argument stuffed with hate and division,” Harris advised the group in Phoenix. “He insults Latinos, scapegoats immigrants, and it is not simply what he says, it is what he’ll do if elected. You might be certain he’ll carry again household separation insurance policies, solely on a a lot larger scale than final time.”

Harris additionally had Latino musicians open for her on Thursday, most notably singer Jennifer Lopez in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lopez highlighted her Puerto Rican descent and appealed to immigrant and Latino voters as she launched the vp.

“[Trump] has persistently labored to divide us. At Madison Sq. Backyard, he reminded us who he actually is and the way he actually feels,” Lopez stated. “It wasn’t simply Puerto Ricans that had been offended that day, it was each Latino on this nation.”

Each campaigns have been amping up their Latino voter outreach efforts as Nov. 5 will get nearer. Final week, Trump hosted a roundtable in Florida with Latino enterprise leaders, whereas Telemundo aired a pre-taped interview with Harris.