Harris and Trump duke it out for minority voters in Nevada

Clark County, home to Las Vegas, is at the center of attention for both the Harris and Trump campaigns. Not only is the county home to more than two-thirds of Nevada’s population, but it also has a high percentage of Asian American and Latino voters that are not a solid voting bloc for Vice President Kamala Harris and Democrats.

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Seeking to win the Asian American vote

Asian Americans comprise 12% of Nevada’s population, but in the congressional district represented by Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV), which spans south Las Vegas to the most southwestern corner of the state bordering California, 20% of her constituents are Asian American.

Nearly half of those Asian Americans are Filipino, and many of them voted for the first time in the 2020 election. While 68% of registered Filipinos identify as leaning Democrat and 31% as leaning Republican, according to the Pew Research Center, 54% did not turn out to vote in the last presidential election — more than 12% below the national average.

Republicans are seeking to win over the nation’s fastest-growing voting bloc. Last week, former President Donald Trump stood on a stage in Nevada for an Asian American and Pacific Islander community rally. His message centered on building a strong economy for all, bolstering public safety, and strengthening the border.

Just this month, AsiansMAGA, a political action committee, bought 20 billboards in the Las Vegas area with the message “Economy safety peace,” followed by “Asian Americans for Trump.”

Republican House candidate Drew Johnson, who is challenging Lee, has been homing in on the Asian American vote for months, visiting the homes of Filipino residents for traditional meals and singing karaoke.

But Harris’s campaign team is just as aware of Nevada’s growing Filipino population. Her campaign previously hosted a Karaoke for Kamala event and advertised it in Filipino American newspapers.

And with October being Filipino American Heritage Month, the campaign brought out a Harris-themed food truck in Las Vegas, which read, “When we vote, we win.”

Fight for Latinos

Latinos make up 30% of the population in Nevada, and only 49% of Latinos nationwide identify with the Democratic Party — a 7-point drop in just eight years.

Harris may lead Trump with Nevada Latinos by 56% to 40%, but she is losing Latinos to Trump by more than double digits in every age bracket. The top concerns for Nevada Latino voters remain inflation and immigration.

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But now, Trump remains under scrutiny for the remarks made by his supporters. Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe put him in hot water with off-color jokes about Latinos and referring to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”

Harris is bringing with her some star power when she returns to Nevada for a rally on Halloween. American Latina artist Jennifer Lopez will speak at the rally and Maná will perform.