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Biden's VP Pick Isn't the Biggest Issue for Latino Activists

Associated Press

   WASHINGTON - Joe Biden would have to do more than select a Latina
   running mate to win over Hispanics whose support could be crucial to
   winning the presidency, according to activists who are warning the
   presumptive Democratic nominee not to take their community for granted.
   Biden is viewed with skepticism among some Latinos for his ties to
   deportation policies during the Obama administration. Hispanics also
   strongly sided with Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primary.
   That presents a challenging dynamic for Biden, who is trying to build a
   multiracial, multi-generational coalition to take on President Donald
   Trump. He's promised to pick a female vice president, and many African
   Americans say he could lock in the black vote if he chooses a black
   running mate. But some Latino leaders say Biden will have to go further
   to win their backing.
   "I'm more interested in knowing if Latinos are rooted in their campaign
   strategy," said Stephanie Valencia, who runs EquisLabs, a polling and
   data operation analyzing Latino politics.
   Biden has established a committee to lead the vetting of a potential
   running mate that includes Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, whose
   family has ancestral roots in Mexico. His short list of possible
   candidates is believed to feature two Latinas, New Mexico Gov. Michelle
   Lujan Grisham and Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto.
   Neither has the national profile of two black women thought to be among
   the finalists, California Sen. Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams, the
   former Democratic nominee for governor in Georgia. They're also less
   well known nationally than Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren or
   Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who are white.