Biden and Trump Compete for Latino Vote
As the campaign enters the home stretch, President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden each attended events designed to appeal to Latino voters.
Latino voters are thought of as reliably Democratic voters, but the Trump campaign is buoyed by some polls that show him outperforming past Republican candidates.
Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.
Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for “Biden and Trump Compete for Latino Vote”
Links
“Trump has Latino voter support that’s as strong as ever. Why haven’t his insults cost him?”
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-has-latino-voter-support-s-strong-ever-why-haven-ncna1240168
“Biden, Florida-bound, says his support among Hispanic voters has ‘gotta go higher’”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-florida-bound-says-his-support-among-latinos-has-gotta-go-higher
“Biden likens Trump to Fidel Castro as candidates battle to win Latino voters”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-trump-fidel-castro-latino-voters
“Biden’s weakness with Black and Latino men creates an opening for Trump”
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/18/biden-black-latino-voters-417473
“Biden is getting trounced with Cuban American voters in Florida, a trend that could tip the state to Trump”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/09/15/joe-biden-lags-trump-cuban-american-voters-latinos-florida/5756126002/
“Trump campaign courts Latino voters in Arizona, historically Democrats. Here’s what that looks like”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/09/14/arizona-trump-campaign-courts-latino-voters/5790350002/
“Trump’s effort to court Latino voters puts pressure on Biden in key swing states”
https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/15/politics/latino-voters-biden-trump/index.html
Assessment
- Writing: Describe the importance of building coalitions for a presidential campaign in a presidential election. Why are Latino voters seen as such an important voting bloc in the 2020 presidential election?
- Debate: Are President Trump’s improving poll numbers with Latinos a sign that more Latinos might support Republicans in the future?
- Poll: Has former Vice President Biden’s popularity with Latinos lagged because of his disengagement, or because of President Trump’s engagement?
- Short Answer: What can Vice President Biden do to improve his standing with Latino voters who are undecided?
Current events quiz:
1) Which of the following statements is true?
a. Trump leads Biden in Florida among Latino voters
b. Biden leads Trump in Texas among Latino voters
c. More than half of all Latino voters in Florida support Trump.
d. Less than half of Latino voters in Arizona support Biden.
2) Which specific Latino group has been most receptive to the Trump campaigns message?
a. Cuban-Americans
b. Dominican-Americans
c. Mexican-Americans
d. Puerto Ricans
3) What do we learn about Latino voters upon closer analysis?
a. Latinos vote as a monolith for the same party and issues
b. Latinos do not vote as a monolith and demonstrate a variety of political attitudes and preferences
c. Latino voters are well-represented in government and are consistently engaged in the political process
d. Latinos are most likely to support third-party candidacies
4) The concentration of Latino voters in key swing states could determine the election. (T/F)
5) Latino voters are concentrated in traditionally Republican states like Idaho and North Dakota. (T/F)
6) The Trump campaign has essentially conceded the Latino vote to Joe Biden in the state of Florida. (T/F)
Answers:
1) B
2) A
3) B
4) True
5) False
6) False
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Featured Image Credit: Joe Frazier
