The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the oldest and largest Latino civil rights group in the country, has endorsed Kamala Harris for president.
“We are proud to endorse Kamala Harris and Tim Walz because of the real issues facing Latino communities and all Americans across the nation; we can trust them to do what is right for our community and the country,” Domingo Garcia, chairman of the organization’s political arm, LULAC Adelante PAC and LULAC’s immediate past president, said in a statement.
“Throughout her career, Harris has demonstrated a commitment to justice, equality, and inclusivity—values that resonate deeply with the Latino community and will move our country forward in the right direction,” Garcia added.
The announcement marks the first time the group has formally endorsed a presidential candidate in its 95-year history.
“The politics of hate mongering and scapegoating Latinos and immigrants must be stopped,” Garcia said in the statement, an apparent shot at Donald Trump.
“Latinos understand how much is at stake in this election, for not only our community but our democracy,” he added. “The choice in this election is clear: Donald Trump and Project 2025 would bring another four years of fearmongering, division, and disrespect and demonizing of Latinos.”
LULAC issued a report earlier this week slamming Project 2025 for its “disproportionately negatively impacts Latino civil rights.”
The endorsement comes as Harris is set to campaign in Nevada and Arizona this weekend, two states with a high Latino population which President Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020.
Members of the PAC’s board will formally endorse Harris and Walz, ahead of the campaign’s Nevada rally on Saturday.
Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Harris-Walz 2024 campaign manager, said the campaign was honored to earn LULAC’s endorsement, in a statement to NBC News.
“They’ve never backed away from the fight for the communities they represent, and Vice President Harris has never stopped fighting to create opportunities for Latino families,” she said.
With the threat to Latinos of Trump and Project 2025, “the stakes of this election require Latinos to unify and organize together like our lives depend on it,” Chavez Rodriguez added.
The group pledged to use its massive grassroots operation to help the Harris-Walz team in not only Arizona and Nevada, but in other swing states with a growing Latino population as well.
