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WLRN Public Media | By Sergio R. Bustos
Published September 26, 2024 at 1:37 PM EDT
Spanish-language television network giant Univision announced this week that Republican Donald Trump and Democratic Kamala Harris each agreed to separate town-hall style events to discuss issues of importance to millions of Hispanic voters, only weeks away from the Nov. 5 presidential election.
The first special, “Los Latinos Preguntan … Donald Trump Responde,” (Latinos Ask… Donald Trump Answers) will air Tuesday, Oct 8, at 10 p.m. ET from Miami. The second special, “Los Latinos Preguntan … Kamala Harris Responde,” (Latinos Ask… Kamala Harris Answers) will air on Thursday, Oct 10, at 10 p.m. ET from Las Vegas.
Univision said both events will air coast-to-coast with Spanish-language translation on Univision and stream on ViX’s Noticias 24/7 channel and will also be available in English on Noticias Univision’s YouTube channel. The local network affiliate in Miami is WLTV Univision 23.
Mexican Journalist Enrique Acevedo will moderate each of the town halls that will include an audience of undecided Hispanic voters who will be able to ask questions of the candidates.
Univision, in a statement, said the events are tailored to the more than 36 million eligible Hispanic voters in this year's election. Hispanics comprise about 15% of all voters.
“Noticias Univision serves as a two-way bridge: we bring every voice to our community while conveying the concerns of Latinos to those in power,” said Daniel Coronell, President of Noticias Univision.
Univision’s digital news team will provide live streaming coverage on UnivisionNoticias.com and Facebook.com/UnivisionNoticias. A live blog will also be part of the TV network’s coverage plans.
The latest poll by the non-partisan Pew Research Center shows a majority of Hispanic registered voters, 57%, say they would vote for Harris and 39% would vote for Trump. The survey was done Aug. 26-Sept. 2.
The poll results mirror the presidential preferences of Hispanics in 2020, when Biden defeated Trump 61% to 36% among Latinos who voted in the presidential contest.
The top issue for the vast majority Hispanics (85%), according to the Pew poll, was the economy, followed by health care (71%), violent crime (62%), gun policy (62%), immigration (59%) and Supreme Court appointments (58%).
The Pew Research Center reported that 36.2 million Latinos are eligible to vote this election year, which represents an increase of 4 million since 2020 and more than double the 14.3 million eligible voters in 2000. And, more importantly, they say Hispanic voters “make up notable shares of voters in several of this year’s battleground states.”
The 2024 presidential campaign is concentrated on seven battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Florida, which was a longtime battleground, leans more Republican.
Trump won Florida in 2016 and 2020. He beat President Joe Biden in 2020 by 371,686 votes.
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