Pandering to us: Arizona voters react to launch of Latinos con Biden-Harris
Arizona voters Monet Flores-Bacs, Moses Sanchez and Jorge Rivas join Fox & Friends First to discuss the Biden-Harris campaigns latest measure to appeal to Latino voters.
Hispanic residents of border states are rejecting President Biden's efforts to shore up support in the 2024 election.
Three Arizona voters joined "Fox & Friends First" on Wednesday to share their discontent with the president's Latinos con Biden-Harris campaign pitch in Phoenix.
"Biden coming to Arizona is just a Band-Aid on a great, big open wound," Monet Flores-Bacs, 25, told co-host Todd Piro. "Despite what President Biden might want us to believe, the Latino community in Arizona is really hurting due to inflation."
BIDEN LAUNCHES 'LATINOS CON BIDEN-HARRIS' TO COURT HISPANIC VOTERS WOOED BY TRUMP
U.S. President Joe Biden applauds during a campaign event at a Mexican restaurant in the Phoenix area, Arizona, U.S., March 19, 2024, (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
The president launched the Latinos con Biden-Harris campaign program on Tuesday during a campaign stop in Arizona.
"The Latino vote was critical to the President’s victory in 2020, and 2024 will be no different," said campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez.
Flores-Bacs emphasized the disparity between stagnant incomes and historically high living costs.
"They're pandering to us," she said. "You can hear in their rhetoric that they don't take it seriously."
A native Arizonan and daughter of a Guatemalan immigrant, Flores-Bacs said inflation makes it increasingly difficult for Latinos to live out their version of the American Dream.
Moses Sanchez, a retired U.S. Navy petty officer who immigrated to the U.S. from Panama, echoed Flores-Bacs' sentiments.
"They don't focus on everyday issues that matter, like economic stability, crime, public safety, supporting small businesses, reducing inflation," Sanchez said. "Those are the things that impact hardworking Latinos."
Sanchez emphasized the disconnect between the Democratic Party and Latino voters.
"It's a problem that the Democratic Party has here in Arizona," Sanchez said.
He said the administration will face an uphill battle convincing Latinos they're better off now than they were three years ago.
"They're going to have to do a lot of work to overcome that hurt."
Tucson-area restaurant owner, Jorge Rivas, said Latinos should support conservative candidates.
"Strong Latinos like ourselves, people that work hard every day – they're not going to support Biden and Harris because they haven't stepped up," Rivas said.
"Biden has really damaged our livelihood."
Rivas, a father of three who's originally from El Salvador, migrated to the U.S. as a political refugee in the 1980s.
He cited high gas prices and a societal shift away from traditional moral values as factors why Latinos have shifted away from Democrats.
"We feel the only one that can do better for us and align with our values is Donald Trump."
A recent survey found Trump leads Biden among Hispanics. (Photo credit should read JOHN GURZINSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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The Hispanic voter base is considered one of the most valuable demographics for candidates in the 2024 presidential election – the Latino population continues to rise while its historic affiliation with the Democrats has wavered.
A New York Times/Siena College poll from earlier this month found former President Trump holds a six-point lead over Biden among Hispanic voters.
Biden will continue his campaign to mobilize Latino voters in Texas on Wednesday.
Fox News' Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.
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