Presidential Campaigns Reach Out to Evangelical Latino Voters

Friday, during the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference’s Latin Leaders Fest in Anaheim, California, the two leading presidential campaigns presented short video pitches to the Latino pastors in attendance.

Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, and Donald Trump, her presumptive Republican counterpart, each presented addresses that were a little over 2 minutes long. But the content of those speeches were distinctly different.

In Clinton’s speech, which appeared to be read from a teleprompter, she touted her “lifelong Christian” faith and focused on matters of faith. After thanking the NHCLC for the opportunity to address the pastors, she read Galatians 6:9:

“Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, you shall reap a harvest of blessings.”

The highlights of her speech included raising the minimum wage, creating more high-paying jobs, improving education, and comprehensive immigration reform. She also attempted to attack Trump—not mentioning him by name—by discussing “divisive and dangerous rhetoric” in the campaign so far.

“We have a candidate who wants to tear families apart and forcibly deport 11 million undocumented immigrants, who calls Mexicans ‘rapists,’ who talks about banning Muslims from entering the country. That is not who we are as a people. You can always count on me to fight for you, your congregants and your communities, but I can’t do it alone. I respectfully need your support, so please work together to win this election. Let’s never grow weary in doing good for as many people as possible.”

In his own speech, recorded from inside his personal jet, Trump thanked the NHCLC for the opportunity to address the pastors. While he didn’t reference Clinton at all, he instead made a direct appeal to the Latino pastors on the economy, jobs, education, and national security.

He also told those in attendance he will “work with” them in reference to the illegals already in the country:

“We’re going to be working very hard. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m going to win, and we’re going to take care of everybody. Our country is going to be unified for the first time in a long time … ‘National Hispanic Christian’: three great words. We’re going to take care of you, we’re going to work with you, and you’re going to be very happy. You’re going to like President Trump.”

Prior to the event, the NHCLC had promoted Trump’s speech, and noted he had a much steeper hill to climb with Latino Christians than Clinton. According to a recent poll conducted by FOX News Latino, the former secretary of state leads the real estate businessman by nearly 40 points among Latino voters.