NEWSWEEK: “BIDEN GROUP JUMPSTARTS MIDTERM CAMPAIGN WITH LATINO SWING STATE AD BLITZ”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 16, 2022
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NEWSWEEK: “BIDEN GROUP JUMPSTARTS MIDTERM CAMPAIGN WITH LATINO SWING STATE AD BLITZ”

“This is the earliest I’ve done Spanish-language ads in my 30 years.” – veteran operative Chuck Rocha

Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, Newsweek reported on Building Back Together’s ad campaign highlighting how President Biden has delivered for Latino communities – from taking on the pandemic and jumpstarting the economic recovery, to delivering small business assistance and pandemic relief. The TV, radio, and digital ads in English and Spanish target Latino communities in Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, and share the stories of Americans who have been positively impacted by President Biden’s policies.

These early investments underscore Building Back Together’s mission to engage key constituencies year-round and “going on offense by investing early and consistently to reach Latinos in a culturally competent way in battleground states.”

Newsweek: Biden Group Jumpstarts Midterm Campaign With Latino Swing State Ad Blitz

With critical midterm elections looming in November and control of both houses of Congress at stake, a top outside group advocating for President Joe Biden’s policies is out with ads aimed at informing Latino voters in key swing states of what he has accomplished during his first year in office.

Building Back Together, a 501(c)(4) started by alumni of the Obama administration, is spending nearly $1 million in bilingual ads across TV, radio, and digital platforms in key states like Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Georgia.

“Building Back Together is working hard to ensure Latino families know what President Biden has delivered, from taking on the pandemic and helping small businesses keep their doors open, to jumpstarting the economic recovery and working to lower prices for families,” chief strategy officer Mayra Macias told Newsweek.

The group, which launched with a stated focus on engaging Latino voters year-round with an “always on” philosophy, said in 2022 it’s “going on offense by investing early and consistently to reach Latinos in a culturally competent way in battleground states.”

The ads are a mix of visual storytelling with a personal touch and simple and direct radio messaging.

In “Real Minds Changed,” Luis Martinez, who started his Atlanta restaurant My Abuelas Food as a love letter to his island of Puerto Rico and his grandmothers who used to cook for him, says the pandemic hit two weeks after his restaurant opened, but he was denied financial assistance because he had defaulted on his student loans.

Martinez says in the ad that during the election he was skeptical Biden was the candidate who could lift the country out of the COVID crisis. But shortly after becoming president, Biden did away with the restrictions that had prevented him from receiving help, enabling him to receive funding immediately from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

“The weight was just lifted,” Martinez says. “Because of Joe Biden, My Abuela’s Food continues to be alive.”

Conversely, ads titled “One Year With Biden,” tailored to Florida and Wisconsin radio, include a narrator detailing the 6 million jobs gained in 2021, including 460,000 in Florida and 50,000 in Wisconsin, respectively. The ads also state that the Biden administration invested $2.7 million in Hispanic small businesses, and detail how much each state will receive for infrastructure improvements.

Chuck Rocha, one of the group’s consultants and veteran of the senior ranks of Senator Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, who has criticized Democrats for waiting until weeks before election day before scrambling to haphazardly slap together a Latino voter plan, said he has been pleasantly surprised by the approach.

“This is the earliest I’ve done Spanish-language ads in my 30 years,” Rocha told Newsweek.

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