On a recent Tuesday in Sacramento, Alexa Sosa Nunez donned her AirPods, stacked a printed script, took a deep breath, and made her first phone call on behalf of Democratic House candidate Rudy Salas.

The 50-year-old woman who answered the phone said immigration was her top priority this election.

Sosa Nuñez, who works for the voter mobilization group Communities for a New California Action Fund, said Salas supports a path to citizenship for undocumented workers. Salas is running against Republican Representative David Valadao for control of California’s 22nd Congressional District in the San Joaquin Valley.

“Can I count on your vote?” she asked.

“Oh, yes,” the woman answered. “I have a family. They need something. We need to do something so they can get their documents here.”

Some of California’s most competitive legislative races are in districts with large Latino populations. In the 13th Congressional District, centered on Merced County and stretching from Lathrop to Coalinga, 50% of all voters are Latino. In the 22nd Congressional District, which includes parts of Kern, Kings and Tulare counties, that share is 59%. And in the 27th Congressional District, which spans northern Los Angeles County from Santa Clarita to the Kern County line, it’s 33%.

The race for the seats, which are currently held by Republicans but all won by President Biden in 2020, will determine which party will control Congress next year and, by extension, how much the next president will accomplish while in the White House. This is extremely important in deciding whether to raise

If Democrats flip just four Republican-held seats across the country, they will regain the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. With six close races in California, the outcome could be determined by who appeals to the most Latinos.

Latino voters are an increasingly influential and diverse bloc that derives power from multiple sources. For example, voting trends differ significantly between Mexican Americans and Cuban Americans. But in California, Poll of 1,000 Latino voters Democratic challengers in the 13th, 22nd and 27th Congressional Districts all hold significant leads over their Republican opponents, according to a poll released Wednesday by the Latino Community Foundation. One in ten hasn’t made up his mind yet.

Polls show that Latino voters in these districts overwhelmingly cite concerns about the cost of living, the economy and jobs as the biggest issues facing the country.

“Latino voters in California’s battleground states will play a key role in determining the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives,” said Julián Castro, CEO of the Latino Community Foundation.

Matt Barreto, founder of UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Institute and the California Democratic Party’s political polling firm, believes Vice President Kamala Harris’ historic presidential bid could lead to higher Latino turnout this year. He said that they are complete. Former state attorney general and U.S. senator. However, it is up to the candidate to turn that into a vote.

Barrett warned that Democratic candidates will need to overcome a historic lack of investment in regions such as the San Joaquin Valley. Declining voter registration and turnout Among Latinos compared to other races and ethnicities.

Campaigns and political groups are getting creative to curry favor with Latino voters. George Whitesides, a Democrat who is vying to represent the 27th District, held a “Vote and Burrito” event in Palmdale on Sunday.

California Republican Party has opened three Latino community centers since 2022 in Palmdale, Bakersfield and Merced (opened by Republican National Committee to reach Black, Latino, Asian and Indigenous voters) Other community centers closed in the following locations: connecticut and south texas. )

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fight night watch party He fought for Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez in Atwater last month.

And the Republican National Committee has a Latino community engagement coordinator in Bakersfield, a Mexican-born man who became a U.S. citizen in March.

Those efforts and the energy surrounding the presidential election appear to be helping the campaign reach voters. Democratic Rep. Adam Gray, who is seeking to unseat Rep. John Duarte (R-Modesto) in the 13th Congressional District, said his campaign had the most volunteers in 12 years. said. Salas said he is on pace to raise twice the amount he raised in the last cycle, when he lost to Valadao by three points in 2022.

Libre Initiative Action, a national conservative Latino political group, supports Duarte. and other California Republican candidates.. Libre Chairman Daniel Garza said both parties took notice after eight Latino Republicans flipped seats across the country in the last election.

“I think for the most part, the Republican Party has just done a very poor job of connecting with the Latino community,” he said. “That’s not the case anymore. What you’re seeing is a lot more investment. Center-right groups like ours are pointing to different candidates and pushing different arguments about policy in different directions.” So it’s game on.”

In close races like the one Duarte won in 2022 by just 564 votes, Garza said every vote is worth its weight in gold.

This fact is not taken lightly by locals like Eliseo Gamiño, who heads the Central Valley Leadership Roundtable, a coalition of Latino community leaders and elected officials. Earlier this year, the group announced its first-ever Republican endorsement, supporting Mr. Duarte over his opponent Gray.

However, it is not an enthusiastic endorsement.

“Qual Es El Menos Peor —Which one is the least worst? he said. “Because none of them are ideal candidates.”

Gaminho He pointed to Gray’s ad. The show features Vern Warnke, a longtime Merced County sheriff who previously worked with immigration authorities to secure jail inmates for deportation. Imprisoned immigrants are not transferred to federal authorities past 2 yearsThe Merced Focus newspaper reported.

Gaminho, in contrast, Advertisement by Mr. Duarte’s campaign Featuring a Latino family playing a Mexican bingo game Lotteria. He said it’s clear Duarte knows he needs Latino voters, many of whom are disillusioned with Democrats’ inability to pass immigration reform.

“Hispanics haven’t forgotten that,” Gamiño said of the sheriff. “Mr. Duarte has been more proactive in bringing families out of the shadows. You have to give him credit.”

Duarte broke with most Republicans last year. when he voted against He enacted tough border security laws, citing a desire to protect Valley farm workers who do not have U.S. citizenship. Last year, he co-sponsored a bill that would establish a path to permanent residency for immigrants who arrived in the United States as children. Gray said He supports comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship. As a California state legislator, he voted in favor of a 2017 bill that prohibited landlords from disclosing their tenants’ immigration status.

Earlier this month, the Mendota Chamber of Commerce hosted a Spanish language discussion between Mr. Duarte and Mr. Gray, but Mr. Duarte was the only one in attendance. Gray was not invited until a few days ago when his campaign said he could not attend, but the chamber said there had been no offer to reschedule.

“My opponent is running a campaign to mislead voters,” Gray said. “They are trying to co-opt the Latino community despite the fact that he helped repeal a compromised immigration reform bill.”

The bipartisan Border Act of 2024 was opposed by many progressives because it did not include a path to citizenship, but it died in the Senate after President Trump pressured Republicans to abandon their support. It was never voted on in the House of Representatives.

Duarte spokesman Duane DiChiara said his campaign is focused on appealing to Latinos, who are rapidly moving to the right politically.

“Democrats are not ready because what they always want to talk about is immigration and racism,” DiChiara said. “Most Hispanics don’t think we’re racist, and most Hispanics want to secure our borders.”

California’s battleground elections, which could decide who controls the House of Representatives, are well-funded and attention-grabbing.

Last week, the Democratic National Committee announced a six-figure investment in a media campaign targeting diverse constituencies, including Latinos, in California’s hotly contested House races. House Republican top super PAC It fell by more than $4 million. Television ads aired last week to support Republican candidates in California’s competitive elections, including $250,000 for Spanish-language ads.

Battleground Californiais the first statewide independent spending coalition targeting competitive races in districts with significant percentages of Latino, Asian, and Black voters, with the goal of a Democratic-controlled Congress. Spent $4 million.

But campaigns in California’s swing seats are based more on local issues and candidates’ personal appeal.

“Latinx voters are Americans who love this country, and they deserve the same security as all Americans,” said Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Santa Clarita). “For my campaign, this is not an ‘outreach’ program because I am literally part of this community.”

Salas, the son of farmworkers, hopes to become the first Latino Congressman to represent the Central Valley. His campaign has partnered with United Farm Workers organizers to help connect with hard-to-reach voters.

“I tell people, look, I’m just a kid from the Central Valley. I used to wake up early in the morning and go outside and work with my dad in the fields and on construction sites,” he said. spoke. “We know we have support in the community. We just need to get them to vote.”

Back at Communities for a New California, Sosa Nunez, the woman who had been doing phone banking for Mr. Salas, was transferred to another voter. This time, a 22-year-old woman answered in Spanish. Sosa Nunez said Salas is in favor of women’s reproductive rights, including access to abortion.

“I don’t agree with that procedure,” the woman replied.

Sosa Nunez asked how much power women think their vote has to bring about change in their communities.

“Nada” she said. none.

Sosa Nunez said one in three voters in the 22nd Congressional District is Latino.

“Our votes can have a huge impact on elections,” she said. “We encourage you to research and vote.”