Republicans fight for Latino voters in Democratic strongholds

In 2020, the economy, the COVID-19 pandemic and safety were the most important topics for Latino voters.

Voting rights activists from Mi Familia Vota said after years of being ignored, they are seeing significant investments from politicians trying to reach out to the Latino community. As the largest non-white ethnic group in the United States continues to grow, Latinos have become a focal point for Republicans and Democrats alike.

But Héctor Sánchez Barba, the executive director and CEO of the Latino-focused civic engagement organization Mi Familia Vota, said that Latino voters must be prepared to identify which efforts are performative and what political promises will be kept.

"Nobody has a free ride with the Latino vote," Sánchez Barba told ABC News. "The important part is this is not a transactional element, just for the Latino vote. It [must be] a serious holistic engagement on Latino priorities."

The percentage of Latinos who were eligible to vote and did so rose to a historic high of 53.7% in 2020, increasing from 47.3% in 2016, according to CUNY's Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies.