PFAW Gets Out the Vote in Virginia
Today, voters across the Commonwealth of Virginia head to the polls in an election that could swing the State Senate from Republican to Democratic control. And with the increasing anti-immigrant rhetoric coming from Republican politicians — most garishly embodied by Donald Trump — this election also gives the first big chance for voters to stake out a position against the anti-Latino demagoguery of the Republican Party.
Virginia is a key state for People For the American Way’s Latinos Vote! program. This election cycle, PFAW’s efforts focus on turning out Latino voters in Northern Virginia, particularly in State Senate District 29, where Democrat Jeremy McPike is running against Republican Hal Parrish.
PFAW is running innovative Spanish-language ads supporting Democrats in Virginia:
The ads focus on Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and the way Latino voters can use this election to take a stand against GOP bigotry, as exemplified by Trump. As leading Spanish-language newspaper La Opinion described:
Es el primer comercial en usar a Trump para llevar al voto latino a las urnas, pero no será el último. Su enfoque en las mujeres y en dos generaciones: inmigrantes y primera generación, es novedoso.
[Translation: It’s the first ad that uses Trump to drive Latino voters to the polls, but it won’t be the last. Its focus on women and on two generations, immigrants and first generation, is novel.]
In addition to the ad, civil rights legend and PFAW board member Dolores Huerta traveled to Virginia the weekend before the election to support McPike and to rally key voters, especially in Latino communities.
“Democrat Jeremy McPike is exactly the candidate Virginians and Latinos need representing us in the State Senate. He deserves the support of Virginia voters for his commitment to empower hard-working everyday Americans, advocate for DREAMers, and promote safe communities for children. I proudly support and endorse Jeremy McPike for State Senate in District 29 and urge Virginia voters to cast a ballot for Jeremy on November 3rd.”
Huerta’s first stop was an interview for Telemundo Washington’s nightly news broadcast, where she encouraged all voters to make their voices heard by showing up to the polls on Tuesday.
The next morning, Huerta joined McPike to kick off the first canvass of the weekend. Huerta reminded volunteers that their work is critical because we need more candidates like McPike, not Republicans who push an anti-immigrant, anti-working families agenda:
Throughout the weekend, Huerta and McPike spoke to voters (and even future voters) about the need to cast a ballot on Tuesday and why McPike is the best choice for State Senate District 29.
Speaking with Al Avendano at El Tiempo Latino, Huerta emphasized what’s at stake in this and every election: “We have these Republican candidates who are against the minimum wage, they don’t really think about working people and the kind of things they need for their families.” (You can watch the full interview here.)
Governor Terry McAuliffe and Senator Mark Warner joined Huerta and McPike to get out the vote as well:
Today’s election is of critical importance to the state of Virginia, and the Latino vote could once again prove to be the margin of victory for McPike and other candidates. For information about where to vote and what you need to bring with you, click here.
