Latino environmental group launches pro-Biden State of the Union ad

A top Latino environmental group is launching a Spanish-language TV ad linking the Biden administration’s climate initiatives to economic growth, the top issue for Hispanic voters ahead of the 2024 elections.

Climate Power En Acción is launching its ad Wednesday to premiere on Univision during Biden’s State of the Union address. The ad is scheduled to run for several days after the speech on seven Univision stations and on the network’s digital channels.

“The clean energy plan is delivering real progress in our communities. Climate action is connected to every issue in our lives from our jobs, energy costs, health, and much more,” said Antonieta Cádiz, deputy executive director of Climate Power En Acción.

The ad centers on clean energy, calling the Biden administration’s climate push “historic progress.”

The 30-second spot is dedicated almost entirely to linking jobs, clean air and lower energy costs.

“Almost 260,000 new jobs have already been created to fuel our future,” says the ad’s narrator.

“The evidence is clear: the Clean Power Plan does work, not only for the environment but for the well-being of our families.” 

The economic-environmental link is significant because recent polling shows that Latinos are prioritizing economic concerns over the environment, an issue that’s historically been a top-five concern for Hispanics.

According to an UnidosUS poll released in November, climate and the environment was a top-three priority for 9 percent of Latino voters, while inflation and the cost of living ranked as a top-three issue for 54 of voters.

The top five issues in that poll were inflation and the cost of living, jobs and the economy, health care, crime and gun violence, and the cost of housing.

Yet the environment and climate have historically been a top issue for Hispanics, who are more likely to live in highly polluted areas or areas susceptible to the effects of climate change.

According to the UnidosUS poll, those concerns have not been erased: Only 6 percent of Latinos are climate change deniers, and 48 percent believe climate change is a serious problem.

According to Climate Power En Acción, the ad will serve to keep the issue front and center, amid an expected barrage of misinformation, particularly in Spanish.

“Given the rampant levels of disinformation targeting Spanish-dominant Latinos, En Acción wanted to set the record straight and keep them informed about this important progress,” said Cádiz.