Dems Struggle to Generate Enthusiasm among Latino Voters
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The push for the Latino vote. In Arizona, volunteers are calling voters' cell phones in Spanish. In Nevada, organized labor, most of them Latinos, going door to door but signs that turn out trouble may be looming.</s>LUIS HERIDA, DNC COMMITTEE MEMBER: The numbers are alarming sometimes, but we got to dig a little bit deeper.</s>LAH (on camera): What do you mean the numbers are alarming?</s>HERIDA: They're not registering support or they're undecided or like they just - they are holding back on choosing who they're going to vote for.</s>LAH (voice-over): A voting bloc Democrats hoped would surge in the upcoming midterm election.</s>LAH (on camera): If the emphasis were put on the Latino vote that's put on, for example, suburban white women, what kind of game changer would that be?</s>BETTY GUARDADO, UNITED CARE LOCAL 11: I mean, we would be represented. Right now, we're not represented.</s>LAH (voice-over): The Latino vote could significantly impact midterm races in these states with high Hispanic populations. After two years of President Trump's animosity, from separating families at the U.S./Mexico border to anti-immigrant rhetoric.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're not sending their finest. That I can tell you and we're sending them the hell back.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't like to vote.</s>LAH: Some told us they would just rather stay home.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They don't do nothing for us. Just I don't like to at all.</s>LAH (on camera): You don't feel that you have a say? You don't have more of a say in government if you vote?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, the government doesn't help us for nothing.</s>LAH (voice-over): The Latino voter turnout rate in midterms has dropped since 2006. So in 2018, candidates across the country are going bilingual on both sides of the aisle. But it's the Democrats who are counting on Latino turnout to win seats in Congress.</s>LAH (on camera): Do you feel that the Democratic establishment is paying enough attention to the Latino vote?</s>HERIDA: Not enough. But there are in roads. Little by little, I think we're getting to the numbers. And by them paying attention, then you can motivate them to turn out.</s>LAH: Latinos are not a monolithic voting bloc. The latest Gallup Poll does show a 25 percent of them, according to the poll, support President Trump. And another thing to mention, Poppy, is that the demographic of Latinos is relatively young. And youth does correlate with a lower inclination to vote.</s>POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: It does, absolutely. That's sort of a dual- edged problematic sword for the Democratic Party right now. That was a really interesting report, Kyung. Thank you for bringing us that from Phoenix. So, what is bringing you to the polls? Are you voting? We want to know the issues most important to you.</s>JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Each morning leading up to the elections, we're hearing from voters across the country, across the political spectrum. It's a segment called "Why I'm Voting." And here's what you had to say to that.</s>GWENDOLYN WEST-SUTTON, VOTER FROM SICKERVILLE, NEW JERSEY: We need a change. We need a change in the Senate, the House of Representatives because we need to take it back for the people, because Trump is not representative of the American people and the majority of the American people.</s>JUDY GRONE, VOTER FROM LEWISVILLE, TEXAS: I believe in the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of the American family. I'm a very -- I have a strong belief in religious freedom.</s>MIKEY CHAPA, VOTER FROM LAREDO, TEXAS: Your vote is your voice. The reason that politicians do what they want is because you don't vote. They take you for granted. If you vote, they're going to see your powerhouse.</s>NORMA RENO, VOTER FROM TAMPA, FLORIDA: We have to perfect this country. Bring more jobs, economy back and protect this country from drugs, from companies, and those three things are very important to me.</s>HARLOW: Interesting.</s>SCIUTTO: I love hearing those -- these people from all over the country. People think about it seriously, and there's a big variety out there. Tell us why you are voting. You can weigh in on a conversation by posting a video to Instagram telling us what's pushing you to the polls this election. Use the hashtag #whyivotecnn. And from mad dog to probably a Democrat. Where does the president really stand on Defense Secretary James Mattis? Hear what Mattis himself has to say about it. That's next.