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Kamala Harris aims new jobs and investment agenda at Latino men

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Kamala Harris aims new jobs and investment agenda at Latino men

Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign announced her Opportunity Agenda for Latino men, a set of promises to increase homeownership for Latino families and expand investments in “Latino and other entrepreneurs.”

The new agenda, which Harris is launching on Oct. 22, pledges to generate 2 million jobs by providing more opportunities for training programs and by getting rid of “unnecessary college degree requirements” for half a million federal jobs. 

Several of the promises made in the Opportunity Agenda for Latino men mirror those listed in a similar initiative aimed at Black men that the campaign launched earlier this month.  

The agenda, released two weeks from Election Day, comes as the campaign tries to energize male Latino voters in Arizona and other battleground states.  

A USA Today/Suffolk University poll released this month found that Harris has 39% of Hispanic male Arizona voters aged 18-34. That puts her behind Trump, who polls at 59% with the same group. Trump also led Harris 57% to 37% among Hispanic male voters aged 35-49. Other polls indicate that Arizona will be a tight race and voting blocs like the Latino vote will have an outsized effect.  

A recent analysis by The Arizona Republic shows that Democrats are losing ground among Hispanic voters. Now, 40% of Hispanic voters are registered Democrats — a 7 percentage-point drop from 2020.

Both the campaign’s agendas for Black and Latino men seek to deliver 1 million “forgivable loans” up to $20,000 to entrepreneurs and include proposals to build 3 million new affordable housing units.  

The Harris campaign said in a written statement that the loan funding listed in its initiatives for Black and Latino men comes from the same pool of money. The campaign is highlighting those proposals because they are meant to address barriers that Black and Latino men face in accessing capital, according to the statement.

The campaign told The Republic that the programs listed in its agenda for Latino men would be open to all Americans.

Have any news tips or story ideas about the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona? Reach the reporter at rromeroruiz@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @raphaeldelag.

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