Hispanic voters could provide the critical swing votes on Election Day, which has led Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign to launch a $3 million effort to reach Latinos through radio. The campaign says it will take to the airwaves in states including Nevada, Arizona, and Pennsylvania with ads in Spanish. The campaign calls it the “most significant” level of spending ever targeting Latino voters.
“Hispanic Heritage Month is an important moment to celebrate the richness and diversity of Latino communities across the country,” campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in the announcement. “It is also a critical moment for us to leverage, as we continue to reach Latino voters about the stakes of this election, how crucial their vote will be in deciding this race, and defeating Trump and his anti-Latino agenda.”
The ads will target undecided voters. Beyond using traditional radio spots set to air from Sept. 15 to Oct. 1, the campaign’s plan includes engagements with influential radio personalities. It will also use ads tailored to sports, with a focus on radio coverage of baseball, football, and soccer.
The Harris campaign has received the message of how well radio works to reach Hispanic voters. The announcement points out that 96% of Latinos listen to the radio each week, with listening levels even higher among 35-to-49-year-olds, where 98% listen to radio monthly.
In addition to radio, the Harris campaign is also planning to buy outdoor ads. The effort will also include a bilingual phone banking program.
Entravision last month released a survey of voters in Nevada and South Texas that found 28% get news about important matters from Spanish-language radio or TV. The impact of media exposure is even more produced when it comes from advertising among those surveyed. The result shows that 82% of listeners to Spanish-language news-talk radio say that ads they have heard have led them to seek out more information about a candidate.
Entravision’s survey, done in collaboration with BSP Research, also found that Latino voters are highly engaged. Nearly 80% indicate they probably or almost certainly will vote. The strong engagement is consistent among Spanish-language media users and those in Spanish-speaking households.
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