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With Republicans holding majorities in both chambers of Congress and Donald Trump days away from returning to the White House, a major right-leaning Latino group is gearing up to spend aggressively to remind Republicans that they need to deliver for one of the groups that helped deliver their 2024 victories: Latinos.
Libre Initiative, part of the political network funded by billionaire industrialist Charles Koch and like-minded donors, is launching a seven-figure campaign this week to press members of Congress to extend Trump's multitrillion-dollar 2017 tax cuts. The campaign, shared first with The Washington Post, will include digital ads and grassroots events in swing states across the country to draw attention to the need for Congress to move quickly on a policy the group says strengthens the economy - a major reason voters cited for backing Trump.
"The bottom line is that Latinos are policy outcome-driven, that they prioritize results over party loyalty. They want results, and so we need to get those results," Daniel Garza, president of the Libre Initiative, said in an interview. "Let's get started on a really good footing here by making sure that we extend the tax cuts. You need that foundation."
Trump's victory was powered by a historic realignment of the American electorate that upended decades of traditional coalitions. Some of his most dramatic gains were among Latinos, who previously were considered reliably Democratic voters. He won 46 percent of Latino voters in the November election, compared with the 32 percent he garnered in 2020, according to exit polls.
Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Trump and his allies made a concerted effort to court Latino men, younger Latinos and those who voted sporadically or did not vote at all. Much of the message to Latinos focused on blaming Democrats for the economic struggles they have felt over the past four years, particularly as inflation has disproportionately hit Latino and Black families.
In a memo to Republican officials, groups and activists, Libre's leaders explained that "Republicans would be wrong to interpret this cycle's electoral wins as a sign that Latinos are now a permanent fixture in their coalition."
"While there are more Republican Latinos than in the past, it is also true that many are independent swing voters," Garza and Sandra Benitez, Libre's executive director, wrote in the memo.
The share of Latino voters backing Republicans has fluctuated over the years. For example, George W. Bush won 44 percent of Latino voters in 2004, only for John McCain to win 31 percent of their vote in 2008.
Trump and Republican lawmakers are already discussing how to pass tax cuts and other of Trump's legislative priorities.
Trump campaigned on a promise to extend provisions in his signature 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that are set to expire at the end of this year. The bill reduced tax rates for all income brackets but concentrated the largest cuts for the wealthiest individuals. If Congress doesn't take action and the policies expire, it would mean a large tax hike for all individuals.
"It's a horrible time to raise taxes," Garza said. "It's going to increase prices and hurt small businesses and consumers, and especially [families] that are barely getting by from week to week on their paycheck."
On the campaign trail, Trump also promised additional sweeping tax cuts, including on tips, overtime pay and Social Security benefits.
Garza explained that while tax cuts are only one of the many promises Trump made on the campaign trail, it is key that the president-elect starts with a victory in getting the extension passed. Failing to do so, he said, "would be an unmitigated disaster."
"We promised to promote a change away from the stagnation and to get us back on an aggressive pro-growth track," Garza said. "Losing the first big vote on taxes would be a disaster for a lot of folks. There's so much at stake."
Libre is investing in digital ads, some of which will run on streaming platforms like Hulu and Amazon Prime. It will also be hosting events in swing states and other states where Libre has an on-the-ground presence to ensure Latinos understand the tax cuts and why it's important to extend them. The group is also looking at potentially doing mail ads to raise awareness as part of the campaign, which is named Protecting Prosperity.
When Trump's tax bill was first passed in 2017, 59 percent of Latinos opposed it while 19 percent backed it and 21 percent were undecided, according to a December 2017 Suffolk University poll.
Leaders of the group said they're aiming to educate more Latinos about what was in the bill and dispel any inaccuracies they may have heard about it.
Libre's campaign will complement similar ones launched by Americans for Prosperity and Concerned Veterans for America, two other Koch network groups. Americans for Prosperity will spend eight figures to press Congress to extend the tax cuts.
Libre did not endorse in the 2024 presidential election but did support several Republican House and Senate candidates who backed Trump. Garza said it's not just Trump and the lawmakers who are under pressure to deliver on their promises - but the organizations like his that spent aggressively to help them get elected.
"It's not just the Trump administration staking its reputation on achieving a big win on taxes but groups like ours," Garza said. "There's big pressure to score big on the first one out of the block."
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