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Biden campaign targets Latino voters for Copa América, Trump team says effort is “a waste of time and money”
One of the highest viewership men’s soccer tournaments in the world, Copa América, kicked off Thursday and the Biden campaign is seizing on the opportunity to engage and mobilize Latino voters across the U.S.
The Biden-Harris reelection team will host watch parties for the soccer matches with campaign surrogates, distribute Biden soccer jerseys, and place ads across the country for the roughly month-long duration of the tournament.
Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden-Harris 2024 campaign manager, said in a statement that the campaign is looking to “harness the energy of Copa to mobilize and reach the Latino voters who will decide this election in their communities, on the airwaves, and at Copa matches.”
In line with Thursday’s inaugural match in Atlanta between Lionel Messi’s Argentina and Canada, the Biden campaign unveiled its 30-second spot “Goaalll!” that will run on television, radio and digital platforms across English and Spanish markets. The ad references the 2021 Copa América tournament — which was delayed a year from the summer of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic — in an effort to contrast Mr. Biden’s record with former President Donald Trump’s administration.
“Four years ago, we were shut down,” the ad narrator says over images of empty seats. “Stadiums were empty, Trump failed us, but then Joe Biden took over. He reopened the country and got us back on track.”
A red soccer card is placed over Trump’s face, as the narrator says that “Trump talks and talks and Biden gets s— done.”
In response to the ad push, Jaime Florez, Spanish spokesperson for the Trump campaign, told CBS News in a statement Thursday that “it does not matter how much money the Biden campaign will spend trying to get the attention of Hispanic voters, they will not succeed. Hispanics are very concerned with inflation, the prices of everything rising all the time, the insecurity of our neighborhoods, with the crisis at the border, it’s a waste of time and money.”
In June, Trump’s team rolled out its “Latino Americans for Trump” campaign as part of its mobilization efforts to reach the over 36.2 million eligible Latino voters across the U.S. The campaign is intended to show Latino voters “that the American dream is alive and reachable, and how the great achievements they enjoyed during the past years of Republican leadership will be coming back soon” according to Florez.
In 2020, Mr. Biden won Arizona by fewer than 11,000 votes, as was the case in Georgia. Mr. Biden clinched Nevada by less than 33,000 votes.
In 2024, one in four Arizona voters will be Latinos, according to numbers from the Pew Research Center, while in Nevada they will make up one out of every five. These are states where this year’s general election winner will be decided on the margins, and Latinos will play a critical role in determining the outcome.
More than 10 Copa América matches are scheduled in battleground states like Nevada, Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina. They’re key locations that the Biden campaign says it will capitalize on.
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9/27: CBS Evening News – CBS News
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Mark Robinson, North Carolina GOP gubernatorial candidate, treated for burns, campaign says
Embattled Republican North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson — whose gubernatorial bid has been rattled by allegations that he previously posted racist and sexually explicit comments online — was hospitalized with burns Friday, his campaign said.
Mike Lonergan, a campaign spokesperson, told CBS News in a statement late Friday night that the 56-year-old Robinson was “currently being treated for burns following an incident at a campaign event in Mt. Airy.”
Lonergan added that Robinson was in “good spirits,” but did not provide any further details on his condition or the circumstances that prompted.
A source close to the campaign told CBS News that Robinson had been hospitalized.
This follows a bombshell CNN report last week which found that Robinson posted inappropriate comments to the message board of a pornographic website between 2008 and 2012, often under the name of “black NAZI.”
Since the report’s publication on Sept. 19, Robinson has seen several campaign staffers resign, including his campaign manager, general consultant and senior adviser, finance director, and deputy campaign manager. He has also appeared to lose support among the Republican leadership.
Robinson has not appeared in the two North Carolina rallies Trump has held since the CNN report. And when asked Thursday by reporters if he would pull his endorsement for Robinson, Trump responded, “I don’t know the situation.”
When asked Tuesday if Republicans should halt support for Robinson’s campaign, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell responded, “It won’t surprise to you know I’m happy that there’s not a Senate race in North Carolina.”
Robinson, however, has so far vowed to stay in the race.
“This is an election about policies, not personalities,” he wrote on social media Wednesday. “Now is not the time for intra-party squabbling and nonsense.”
Kaia Hubbard and
contributed to this report.
CBS News
Helene blamed for over 40 deaths; millions without power
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