US elections: In Pennsylvania, Puerto Ricans and Latinos play key role

Latinos have a lot, a lot of power in Pennsylvania. Let’s remember that this year there are more or less 580 thousand or 600 thousand possible Latino voters and the last election, the 2020 election, was decided by more or less 81 thousand votes.

If Latino voters come out to vote, of course they could be the ones who determine the outcome of the presidential election in the state of Pennsylvania, which is one of the most important states, and it is clear that the election is very close according to the polls. Rodrigo Dominguez-Villegas, director of the Latino Data Hub platform

Both candidates know that every vote counts. Trump won Pennsylvania by 44,000 votes in 2016. “It is an extreme simplification to attribute a state or national margin of victory to just one demographic group,” explains university professor AK Sandoval-Strausz in an article on the independent digital platform The Conversation. But he makes a consideration.

In a hotly contested election like this one, small changes in the margins among key groups, like Latino voters in Pennsylvania, could determine who becomes president. AK Sandoval-Strausz, university professor

In the United States, the popular vote does not elect the president. Instead, voters choose the 270 Electoral College delegates who will elect the next president by an absolute majority. That’s why Republicans and Democrats seek to win over voters in states like Pennsylvania, called “key” or “pendulum”, who vote for one party or another depending on the candidate.

The difference in voting intentions between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in Pennsylvania varies between 1% and 3%, within the margin of error. The result leads candidates to intensify campaign events and spending in the state. Campaigns are expected to spend US$10.7 billion on advertising in these elections, according to an estimate from the website Adimpact. Much of that money will go to Pennsylvania and other swing states.

Salsa and reggaeton to attract voters

In recent weeks, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have turned to personalities from reggaeton to attract the Latino vote. Trump was heavily criticized and ridiculed by the community for confusing Nicky Jam, a famous singer of the genre, with a woman, when inviting him on stage at one of his political events. “Latin music superstar Nicky Jam, you know Nicky? She’s sexy. Where’s Nicky? Oh, look, I’m glad he’s up,” Trump said.