A new Spanish-language attack ad against Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) is the latest effort by the Republican Party to sway Hispanic voters in what may be one of the most competitive Senate races in the country.
The commercial, which the National Republican Senatorial Committee dropped on Friday, accuses Cortez Masto, the country’s first Latina senator, of being soft on crime and drug trafficking, homing in on what the NRSC believes is one of the most pressing concerns among working-class Hispanic voters in Nevada.
With Latinos expected to make up 1 in 5 midterm voters in the state, the Hispanic community could prove decisive in the outcome of the general election, in which Cortez Masto will compete for a second term against former state Attorney General Adam Laxalt (R).
Breaking down the language barrier among Latinos who aren’t fluent in English will be a crucial step for the winning candidate, according to the NRSC.
HISPANICS ARE LEAVING THE DEMOCRATS, BUT REPUBLICANS STILL NEED TO EARN THEIR VOTES
“What we’re seeing is a lot of our key targeted voters who are likely to vote for us are stuck behind this really large language barrier, and so it’s up to us to deliver a message straight to them that they can digest,” NRSC Field and Coalitions Director Helder Toste told the Washington Examiner.
Crime is the third most important issue to Nevada’s Hispanic voters after the economy, according to NRSC polling. While Cortez Masto has released issues-based ads, Toste pointed out that she appears to be trying to bolster her support with the community by making cultural and biographical appeals.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Cortez Masto’s campaign for comment but has not received a response.
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The first-term senator won her 2016 bid by less than 3 percentage points, and Republicans are hoping to capitalize on the apparent shift in Hispanic support for the Republican Party. The Nevada race is viewed as crucial to winning the evenly divided Senate in November.
Early victories in Texas with Rep. Mayra Flores‘s (R) success in flipping a Hispanic-majority district for Republicans, along with the inroads former President Donald Trump made with Hispanics in Florida in 2020, have the GOP hopeful it can chip away at support for Democrats.
