Influential Latina labor activist Dolores Huerta has formally endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 elections, a move the Democratic contender will hope to use as a boost among the demographic, key in her aspirations to the White House.
"I've known Kamala Harris for a long time — and I've seen firsthand how she fights relentlessly for Latino communities, working families, and for every American," Huerta said in a statement first reported by Axios. "Today, I'm thrilled to endorse Vice President Harris to be our next president of the United States, because I know she'll be our fierce champion in the White House."
The outlet explained that the both have known each other from California politics. Huerta endorsed and campaigned for Harris in her bid to become the state's attorney general in 2010, as well as her failed 2020 presidential bid.
Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers with César Chávez in the early 1960s, will attend an event in Phoenix on Thursday along with campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez, niece of César.
The family of César Chávez had formally endorsed Biden back in March. Fernando and Paul Chavez, sons of the labor leader, said that the bonds of affection and respect for a president who by his character and actions consistently reflects the genuine legacy of my father.
The endorsement, however, was somewhat symbolic, as the Biden (and now Harris) campaign already has close ties with the Chavez family. His granddaughter, Julie Chavez Rodrigez, was the president's campaign manager and agreed to stay on to help put Harris in the White House.
"Today, my grandfather's bust sits in the Oval Office — a reminder that President Biden understands the power of organizing and working people and recognizes the impact of my grandfather's legacy to continue to mobilize our communities into action," Julie Chavez Rodriguez told CBS News in March.
Harris has her work cut out for her as she seeks the Latino vote, considering trends show the demographic migrating to Republicans and nominee Donald Trump. Speaking with The Latin Times, Mike Madrid, co-founder of The Lincoln Project and a political strategist, said that Harris needs to fix the "generational problem that Biden had" to start getting Latinos back "because they are younger."
"And that's the best way to approach, rather than trying to focus on a racial or ethnic appeal. You have to focus on it as a generational appeal. And I think she'll see some successes there." However, he added, he doesn't think there's going to be "wild movement."
"I think we've been watching this 10 year progression of Latinos moving away from the Democratic Party. I think Harris can stem that, slow that, but I don't think she can reverse it. I don't even know if she can stop it or think she can slow it. But we'll see."
Who is Dolores Huerta?
According to the National Women's History Museum, Huerta's activism began in earnest in 1955 when she co-founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO) and the Agricultural Workers Association.
Her meeting with César Chávez in the early 1960s led to the founding of the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), which later became the United Farm Workers' Union (UFW). Huerta played a pivotal role in organizing the 1965 Delano grape strike and subsequent negotiations, advocating for better working conditions and the elimination of harmful pesticides. Her leadership in nationwide grape boycotts during the late 1960s culminated in significant labor contracts for farm workers by 1970.
In the following decades, Huerta continued her advocacy activities. She worked as a lobbyist to enhance workers' legislative representation and supported the political advancement of Latinos and women. Huerta's contributions have been widely recognized, earning her the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.
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