WASHINGTON — Black and Latino men have emerged as key voting blocs in this year’s presidential election. They traditionally vote Democratic, but former President Donald Trump has had some success in peeling away some of that support. Both campaigns are deploying Texas lawmakers hoping to motivate these voters to support them. 

What You Need To Know

  • The campaigns of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are deploying Texas lawmakers in hopes of motivating Black and Latino men, who have emerged as key voting blocs in this year’s presidential election

  • Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, visited the swing state of Nevada as part of "Hombres for Harris" and says he is trying to spread the message that Harris has a plan to bring down costs and create more jobs
  • Rep. Wesley Hunt, R- Houston, is part of a group called “Black Men For Trump" and traveled to key battleground states to say he shares the same values as Trump
  • Political analysts say Black and Latino men are less likely to vote than their female counterparts

Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, has been shuttling between Texas and Nevada recently, speaking to Latino voters and young voters. Nevada is one of seven swing states that could tip the scales in the presidential election between the candidates. Casar is part of a group called “Hombres for Harris.”

“Many men that are deciding how to vote just want to be able to provide for their family, and know that there’s candidates that are there for them in the economy and for family values. At ‘Hombres for Harris,’ we’re spreading the message that Kamala Harris has a plan to bring down costs, create more good jobs and make sure we can take care of our families,” Casar said.

Rep. Wesley Hunt, R- Houston, is one of four Black Republicans in the U.S. House and is part of a group called “Black Men For Trump.” He also recently campaigned in Nevada and other states for Trump.

“I stand before you as a Black man, a congressman in a white majority district from Houston, Texas, a district that President Trump would have won by almost 25 points. I tell you that because I don’t care about my skin color. I care about American values,” Hunt said at a Trump rally in Coachella, California, earlier this month. “Do not allow the left to divide us based on racial lines, race, religion, creed or color.” 

It is the latest example of how surrogates from Texas have been dispatched to battleground states, and of how both campaigns are doubling down on their efforts to build support with Black and Latino voters, and especially Black and Latino men.

“I think really, from the Trump standpoint, it’s about the idea of reclaiming masculinity. From the Harris standpoint, it’s about building a better future,” said Eric McDaniel, professor and co-director of Politics of Race and Ethnicity Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. 

Black and Latino voters traditionally support Democrats, but analysts say that is not so true of Black and Latino men.

“They are less likely to vote compared to their female counterparts. Also, there is a growing concern amongst men in general of feeling kind of left out in the world, and while we’re seeing a lot of this angst take place with white men, there’s also happening with men of color, where they feel like they’re being left behind,” McDaniel said. 

While the state of Texas may not be in play, some of its Texans are playing a key role in helping determine who will be the next president of the United States.