In Nevada, Latinos could pick the next president. They aren’t sold on either candidate

LAS VEGAS — Walking out of a grocery store in a Latino neighborhood on the east side of the city, Flor Elena Fernandez says she’s wrestling with who to vote for in this year’s election.

The 36-year old housekeeping manager worries about the cost of food. She worries about the cost of living.

“We’re all waiting for what is going to happen, especially us Hispanics, says Fernandez, who is originally from Cuba. “The economy is bad. We’re waiting to see what happens.”

Her one and a half year old son, dressed in a red Flash superhero shirt is riding in the cart. Her mom also walks along, smiling knowingly.

Flor Maria Parra, Fernandez’ mother, explains that she’s already decided.

“Yes, for Kamala Harris,” Parra, explains. “At least with Hispanics, she defends the Hispanics a lot, while Trump throws them out.”

Around 1 in 5 voters in the Silver State are Latino. That’s more political power than the group has in almost any of the other 7 key states in the electoral college count.

President Biden barely squeezed out a victory in Nevada, in part by winning 60% of the Latino vote, but polls suggest Trump has stronger Latino support than previous Republican campaigns.

It’s here in Las Vegas where Trump unveiled his plan to eliminate taxes on tips, seen as a direct pitch largely to Latino workers who make up the backbone of the state’s casino and hospitality industry.

Looking to regain their advantage, the Harris campaign is spending $3 million in Spanish-language radio this month, which it says is the largest investment in Hispanic media ever.

The Democrats have also launched their not-so-secret weapon in the state — an army of service workers from the Culinary Workers Union who have been helping deliver the party victories for several elections.

Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Workers Union, admits Nevada, “to be honest, should be Trump territory.”

“At the end of the day, we’re competitive, and we outwork everybody,” he said, adding, “there’s a pathway to win if we really can get workers talking to workers face to face at the doors.”

That’s exactly what they do. Thousands of cooks and servers and room cleaners will take a leave of absence to knock on doors, six days a week for Harris and the Democrats. The Culinary Union will help cover their missed wages as they undertake this different kind of work.

The Trump campaign is also increasing its efforts to reach Latino voters. In Nevada, it’s hosting Spanish phone banking sessions, postcard writing nights and trainings for local volunteers.

Tony Fabrizio, Trump’s lead pollster, argues that Harris’ team is spending so much money on Latinos because they’ve lost so much ground within the community, especially in Nevada and Arizona.

“I don’t care whose national poll you look at — even yours, from NPR — it is really very clear that she is underperforming with Hispanics, not only nationally, but in these two key states,” Fabrizio said.

Back at the supermarket, views of Trump are widely mixed. Alfredo Alcasar is a maintenance worker. He says he doesn’t like how Trump talks about Latinos.

“I don’t like to be minimized. Trump always minimizes us, he said. “And why, if we’ve done nothing bad? All we’ve done is try to contribute to the country as best we can.”

But Pedro Fernandez, a carpenter — who is not related to Flor Elena and her mom — is less worried about Trump’s rhetoric and more concerned about inflation and the cost of living.

“We’ve been here 18 years, and when Trump was in power, the economy was stronger,” he said.

As for Flor Elena Fernandez, she’s torn. It will be her first time voting after recently becoming a citizen, and she wants to make the right choice. She agrees the economy is bad, but she also sees her mother’s perspective.

“We know that she has a plan, but we don’t know how good it will be,” Fernandez says of Harris.

Her mother agrees.

“That’s right. We’ll see what happens.”