Washington, DC – Today, Mi Familia Vota, a national Latino civic engagement organization, launched a new national campaign challenging presidential candidates seeking the Latino vote to outline their policy priorities related to Latino issues. As part of Prioridades 2020 (Priorities 2020), MFV will interview the presidential candidates on their policy platforms, and explore how they will ensure they include the voices and needs of the nation’s largest minority population and economic force, Latinos.
“We want to have all the candidates on record on the policy priorities that are critical for our communities and how they will make them a reality. We are under attack and we need strong leaders that will deliver on their promises. For too long, candidates running for our nation’s highest office have relied on Spanish ads or simple talking points to court voters in the Latino and immigrant communities,” said Héctor Sánchez Barba, Executive Director and CEO of Mi Familia Vota. “We demand more. We are almost 20% of the population and play a central role in determining who will be President. We must see ourselves represented in each candidate’s policy platforms in a holistic and structural way. Candidates must develop real policy proposals that speak to the issues Latinos and immigrants care about. Through our Prioridades 2020 campaign, we are giving each candidate the opportunity to develop bold policy agendas and we intend to hold each candidate accountable. We will use this information in our fieldwork to educate, mobilize voters and create a voter guide.”
Mi Familia Vota has reached out to all presidential candidates, including President Donald Trump, to participate in these candidate interviews. The first interview with billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer will be released this Thursday, December 12th. Senator Bernie Sanders and Mayor Pete Buttigieg have also confirmed their participation.
These candidate interviews touch on the issues that all Americans care about, but in particular Latino voters, including access to quality jobs, affordable health care, housing, climate change, immigration reform, criminal justice, and education. Mi Familia Vota has been registering and mobilizing Latino voters for over two decades. Their work in Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, and California has empowered Latino voters and resulted in steady increases of civic participation in local and national elections.
Prioridades 2020 is part of MFV’s larger strategy to ensure Latinos play a critical role in influencing the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. All interviews will be released on MFV’s website, social media platforms, and sent to MFV’s database.
Watch the first interview with Tom Steyer here (exclusive for press) before Thursday, Dec. 12th.