The California Senate primary is two weeks away, but candidates vying for the seat have put little attention courting a sizable voting bloc: Hispanics and Latinos.
Hispanics comprise roughly 40% of the Golden State’s population, but candidates such as Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Katie Porter (D-CA) have spent little advertising their campaign in Spanish. Schiff has only spent $69,000 on Spanish-language advertising, while Porter spent more than $200,000, according to Politico. The ad from Porter focuses on her life story, while Schiff’s ad campaigns feature Latino leaders in the Golden State.
Roger Salazar, a Democratic consultant in California, told Politico that not focusing on Hispanic voters is a “huge missed opportunity” and that candidates should include the voting bloc in their campaign efforts.
“If you keep excluding the Hispanic community from these conversations, I think it’s unfair and it does a disservice to the electorate,” Salazar told the outlet. “And frankly, it’s a bad political strategy.”
The top four candidates — Schiff, Republican Steve Garvey, Porter, and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) — will face off in a debate hosted by NBC 4 Los Angeles and Telemundo 52, a Spanish-language television station in Los Angeles, on Tuesday night.
Demographers estimated that in 2014, Latinos surpassed whites to be the largest ethnic or racial group in the Golden State, but the Public Policy Institute of California estimates that Latinos only make up roughly 25% of likely voters in the state.
The lower participation of Latino and Hispanic voters compared to white voters, who make up roughly 52% of likely voters, may be contributing to the lack of resources being used in attempting to court those voters.
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An Emerson College-Inside California Politics-Hill poll released on Tuesday shows Schiff leading the other candidates with 28%, followed by Garvey with 22%, Porter with 16%, and Lee with 9%. In California, the top two finishers in the March 5 primary, regardless of party, will advance to the general election in November.
Among Hispanic or Latino voters, the survey shows Schiff with 28.1% of the vote, Porter with 17.4%, Garvey with 13.4%, Lee with 7.6%, and 22.4% saying they are undecided.
