By james art
Posted: October 29, 2024, 9:20 am
Last updated on: October 29, 2024, 10:21 am
The two leading presidential candidates are scheduled to appear in the Las Vegas area on Halloween, just days before next Tuesday’s election.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump plan to appear in Clark County on Thursday.
Trump will appear at the Lee Family Forum at 3:30 p.m. Harris will speak at an as-yet-undisclosed location in Las Vegas between 5 and 9 p.m. Maná, a Mexican pop group, will play at her rally.
Having a group with roots in Mexico could be an attempt by her campaign to attract Latino voters to the rally.
In recent weeks, Trump was seen as improving his support among Latino voters across the country. But that support could be affected after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe last weekend made an offensive joke about Puerto Rico during a rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Nevada’s Latino population is seen as key to winning the state’s six electoral votes in the presidential election. Hispanics and Latinos of any race make up about 28.3% of Nevada’s population, according to the 2020 census. About 20% of Nevada’s registered voters are Hispanic.
Trump is courting Latinos
Trump was in North Las Vegas on Oct. 12 when he appeared at a roundtable with Latino voters. Among the topics he focused on were inflation, illegal immigration and illegal drugs.
I’m honored to have you on my side,” Trump told the mostly Hispanic crowd at the rally in North Las Vegas.
Among the speakers at the Oct. 12 pro-Trump event was Goya Foods CEO Robert Unanu.
Nicole Williams, a Las Vegas bartender and mother of seven, said recently The BBC she is “100% voting for Trump.”
We haven’t been able to do the things we want,” she added. “I want a future for my children.”
Last Thursday, Trump also appeared at UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center. He spoke at a Unite For Change event that targeted Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Asian Americans make up about 12% of Nevada voters.
The US is divided
On Sunday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, Harris’ running mate, appeared at a Las Vegas Raiders-Kansas City Chiefs football watch party in Las Vegas.
It’s going to come down to five to seven states, and Nevada is one of them,” Waltz said at the Las Vegas event. “It will be close because our country is divided. But ultimately it will be won by the people out there knocking on doors and talking to their neighbors.
Among those knocking on doors in Las Vegas to persuade voters to support Harris are representatives of the Culinary Union, which represents hotel workers.
“It’s important to knock on doors and campaign because Kamala, she supports a lot of the things that I’m facing that a lot of Americans are facing, like ending price gouging, supporting the right to make decisions about your own body and the tips,” Morlaina Bruce, Culinary Union member and guest room attendant at the Circus Circus Hotel in Las Vegas, said recently. Guardian news publication.
“I’m worried about the hate that Trump is spreading out there, the division and the lies that he’s telling.”
An indication of how divided people are about the election was seen this week when Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) announced he would activate the National Guard to assist local police as they patrol Election Day.
Polls from last week showed Trump and Harris essentially tied among Nevada voters polled when it came to their preferences between the two candidates. But Trump is the overwhelming favorite to win next week.