Shops specializing in outreach to Latino voters have typically been regional operations, or national firms brought onto campaigns for a specific scope of work. But the partners behind Conexión, which launched late last year billing itself as the “first-of-its-kind Latino owned and operated family of companies,” believe that that old model is now defunct.
“It’s an under-developed space in terms of budget allocation, but it’s also an under-serviced space,” said Adrian Saenz, a former Biden administration official who launched the shop together with partners Colin Rogero, Pili Tobar and Marsha Espinosa.
“There aren’t a lot of firms that specialize in engaging Hispanic or multi-cultural voters,” Saenz told C&E. “There are certainly a few out there — some national or more regional or local — but there’s a need for a higher-level [of] servicing.”
The growing demand which these consultants see on the horizon is being fueled by several factors. The most obvious is the diversifying of the U.S. electorate. But Saenz also pointed to how competitive races are in states that aren’t immediately thought of as having large populations of Latino voters, including Wisconsin, Georgia and Michigan.
“Those are all states where Latinos were a significant portion of that margin of victory,” he said, pointing to the 2020 presidential election results. “In the past, that’s been overlooked, but I think people are seeing that now.”
In some ways, the industry is recognizing this new reality. In January, for instance, Democratic mega-firm SKDK announced a “strategic partnership” with Conexión. “The firms will collaborate to provide creative media, strategic communications, and stakeholder engagement focused on an increasingly diverse American population,” according to the companies.
That partnership was driven, in part, by Conexión’s role as the Latino media firm for President Biden’s reelect, which SKDK also consults for. In fact, that status could help other Democratic campaigns make targeting Latino voters more of a priority in 2024.
“They are not taking Latinos for granted,” Rogero said of the Biden-Harris re-elect. “They are going to make them a very highly targeted, well-communicated with and important part of the re-election campaign in 2024.”
