Biden launches ad barrage, closing argument for Latino voters

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s campaign on Tuesday released a series of digital, TV and radio ads across 11 states, laying out its closing argument to Latino voters.

The five ads aim to drive voter turnout as Election Day nears and the Hispanic vote stands to make the difference in many battleground states.

The ads’ scope showcases the diverse nature of the Hispanic electorate and also the wide reach within the demographic, with smaller Hispanic communities in swing states like North Carolina and Wisconsin in a position to tip the scales.

The flagship ad, featuring the campaign’s anthem, “Fronteras” by Gaby Moreno, will run on TV and digital platforms in Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin and digitally in Colorado, Michigan and Texas.

That ad, titled “Unidos con Biden,” or “United with Biden,” is presented in a mixture of Spanish and English and focuses on Hispanics exercising their right to vote.

Like the flagship, most of the five ads are bilingual, save for two that are in Spanish.

One ad, “Yo, Biden” — “Me, Biden” — has two versions, an East Coast and a West Coast version, as the campaign follows a national trend of microtargeting the country’s diverse Latino communities.

The East Coast version of the ad opens with a baker talking about essential workers and the economy, moves on to a medical worker who says “because we combat the pandemic with science, not with intuition” and then to a store owner who discusses her immigrant parents’ dreams.

The West Coast version opens with an avocado picker talking about how climate change affects Hispanics disproportionately, moving on to a mother who criticizes the Trump administration’s family separation policy and then to a barber who mocks President Trump for describing Mexicans as “criminals” and “rapists.”

The two versions are fully in Spanish, except for the words “criminal” and “rapist” quoted by the barber.

Both versions then turn to a doctor, a construction worker and an office worker, who each make the case for health care reform and following democratic norms.

“Canceled,” a digital ad targeted at young Latino voters in Arizona and Nevada, switches between English and Spanish and talks about canceled proms, graduations and jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.

“El peor año, ever,” says the narrator. The ad then cuts to Trump saying “it is what it is” in a July interview with Axios, referring to the pandemic’s death toll.

“Wait, no it isn’t,” replies the ad’s narrator in English, before switching to Spanish to make the case to support Biden and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

The closing campaign’s other Spanish-language ad will run on radio and digital in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nevada, Virginia, Texas and Wisconsin.

It focuses on the Hispanic community’s contributions to the United States, from essential work to being members of the U.S. military.

“In these elections, we are who will decide the future of our democracy,” says a narrator in Spanish.

A final digital ad, running in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas and Wisconsin, is an English-language description of the Spanish phrase “ser humano” — literally “human being” — which can also mean “to be human.”

The ad features a video of past Democratic and Republican presidents, including Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama.

“Ser humano. It means caring for all and leading with empathy, no matter the challenges,” says the narrator over the historical footage.

The ad takes a swipe at Trump, while not mentioning him by name.

“It means showing compassion for your neighbor. You see, ‘ser humano‘ can mean different things. But for a president, ser humano, to be one, can never be optional,” says the narrator.

The Latino vote could make or break a number of swing states for the candidates.

The RealClearPolitics average of polls shows Biden with a 4-point lead in top battlegrounds.