Conservative Latino group makes first presidential endorsem*nt in 100 years (2024)

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the country's oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization, has endorsed Kamala Harris, the first time in the group's nearly 100-year history that it has thrown its formal backing behind a a presidential candidate.

"We really felt that as an organization that stands for the civil rights for Latinos, that we had to take a position," LULAC CEO Juan Proaño told Newsweek. "At the end of the day we were quite frankly moved from what we saw in the different campaigns...It was this particular person, this particular campaign, this particular risk."

"We would hate to be on the sidelines in an election like this," he added.

The nonprofit, which boasts some 140,000 members across the country, made its endorsem*nt through its new political action committee, LULAC Adelante PAC.

"We were extremely concerned that the politics of hate mongering, immigration bashing and division that were being used by former President Trump and the larger Republican party was creating an imminent threat to the Latinos in the United States, and we had to take action," Domingo Garcia, the chair of the PAC, told Newsweek.

Going forward, the LULAC will use its PAC to endorse candidates on both sides who "who support our families, our entrepreneurs, our college students with policies that can make a difference," Garcia said. LULAC is considered to be among the more conservative of the major civil-rights groups in the U.S.

Proaño said LULAC looked at proposed data on hate crimes and discrimination, Project 2025 and immigration policies, in making its decision.

"I was deathly afraid when I tuned in on that Tuesday to the RNC and they had mass deportation signs," Proaño said, adding that a lot of effort had to go into that with the creation, printing and placement so it's "not something that just happens overnight."

Garcia said Trump has been "using Latinos as political piñatas."

Despite polls showing Trump making strides in Latino support, Proaño said many have become more fearful of him. He called the man that was elected in 2016 "Trump 1.0." When he "started an insurrection," Proaño said he became "Trump 2.0."

"This Trump 3.0 is worse than the other two versions," Proaño said. "We just don't want to get there."

LULAC had previously "tried to engage" with Trump, according to Proaño. He said the organization invited him to its convention but received no response.

While Proaño acknowledged that Harris has been slow to roll out an official policy platform, he said he is excited to speaking with her and the campaign.

"Harris's historic presidential bid builds on the legacy of the Biden-Harris administration, which over the course of three years has advanced causes important to the Latino community, such as creating 4.8 million jobs for Latinos (16 million nationwide) and supporting Latino entrepreneurs, expanding healthcare and childcare access for millions of Americans, and taking meaningful steps on immigration reform," LULAC's press release reads.

Garcia said Harris knows the community and issues and is able to "provide hope and leadership instead of division."

Harris and Walz are set to hold rallies in Glendale, Arizona on Friday and Las Vegas on Saturday. LULAC leaders will join the Las Vegas event, and Garcia plans to travel to Arizona, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania as well.

Following the endorsem*nt, the 535 LULAC councils, which encompasses 140,000 members, will intensify their efforts to support the Harris-Walz ticket in key battleground states, according to the press release.

The group laid out "proactive measures" for Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, such as voter registration and outreach activities.

"Most people discount the impact Latinos can have in states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Georgia," Proaño said. "We certainly make up a large enough amount of the electorate that we could help swing states."

Harris has increased her average polling lead over Trump across multiple aggregation sites. On Tuesday, Newsweek reported on how Harris had overtaken her Republican rival in the two weeks since President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race.

In Nevada, Latinos represent about 22% of the electorate. In Arizona, nearly one in four voters is Latino. There's a growing population of Latinos in Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, that Garcia said could be enough to deliver those must-win states to the Democrats.

"The margin is 10 to 20 thousand. We believe there's enough Latinos," Garcia said. "That can be the margin of victory for Vice President Harris."

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