Vice President Kamala Harris took part in a presidential town hall hosted by Univision in Las Vegas on October 10. The event was aimed at winning over undecided Latino voters, who could have a significant impact on the upcoming election. The town hall, moderated by Mexico-based anchor Enrique Acevedo, featured nearly 100 Latino voters from across the country.
During the town hall, Harris addressed various topics including healthcare policy, immigration, inflation, abortion rights, and the federal government’s response to recent hurricanes. She defended her record on immigration and expressed her support for “Dreamers,” stating that they should have a path to earn their citizenship. Harris also discussed a border bill that was derailed by former President Donald Trump.
One notable moment occurred when a voter asked Harris to name three virtues of Trump. She responded by saying that she believed Trump loves his family but admitted that she didn’t know him well enough to offer more insight.
Another notable moment came when an undecided voter expressed frustration over President Joe Biden quitting the race and questioned how Harris became the party’s nominee. In response, Harris thanked the voter for being candid and praised Biden for making what she believed would be recognized as one of the most courageous decisions a president could make.
After the event, Harris traveled to Phoenix for a rally in another battleground state.
Latino voters have historically favored Democrats and played an important role in key swing states like Arizona and Nevada. However, recent surveys show that support for Republicans among this demographic is increasing. According to an Economist/YouGov poll conducted in October, 48 percent of Hispanic voters expressed support for Harris while 43 percent favored Trump. This marks a decline in support for Harris compared to previous polls.
In particular, young Latino men showed lower support for Harris compared to Trump according to USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll data from Arizona and Nevada.
Univision announced that it will host a town hall with Trump in Miami on October 16th while CNN will host another live town hall with Harris on October 23rd in Pennsylvania.
Currently, nationwide polling shows both candidates are neck-and-neck with slight leads favoring either candidate depending on which poll is considered accurate.