Biden’s major push for Puerto Rican voters: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version ofFrom the Politics Desk an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.

In today’s edition, senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez reports on the efforts from Joe Biden’s campaign and White House to win over voters from Puerto Rico. Plus, “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker has an exclusive interview with former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.

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Why Biden is making a big bet on voters from Puerto Rico

By Gabe Gutierrez

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Ricans on the island can’t vote for president this November. However, those who are from the U.S. territory and now live on the mainland are becoming a top priority for Joe Biden’s campaign.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday visited Puerto Rico for the first time since taking office, touting the Biden administration’s support for the island as it continues to rebuild following several hurricanes.

The outing comes as Biden’s campaign has been investing more in Latino outreach much earlier this election cycle — and it’s not just focusing on the same old broad-reaching outlets like Univision and Telemundo.

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The campaign is already airing ads on WAPA-TV, a major station in Puerto Rico, contrasting Biden’s record with Donald Trump’s on healthcare costs and reproductive rights, hoping the message will make its way back to the mainland. It is also running ads on local radio stations on the island and across the U.S. targeting Puerto Ricans and Latinos more broadly.

“People who are part of the diaspora get their information from it,” said one campaign official familiar with the technique. “We’re being intentional.”

The Puerto Rican diaspora on the U.S. mainland is an increasing source of gaining political clout before the 2024 election. The key swing state of Pennsylvania has the third-largest population of Puerto Ricans in the U.S. — about 500,000 — behind Florida and New York.

The growing number of Puerto Ricans in central Florida — a key area in a perennial swing state — has drawn a lot of attention from campaigns in previous elections. However, with Florida leaning further to the right in recent years, Democrats are placing greater emphasis on Puerto Rican voters in the more closely divided Pennsylvania.

Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, a former city council member in Philadelphia who is now working with Boricuas Con Biden, a community organization mobilizing Puerto Rican voters for the president, said the campaign engaged with the Latino community broadly in Pennsylvania too late in 2020, but she is encouraged by the early outreach this year.

“The Puerto Rican/Latino neighborhood is not only growing, but electing people in all corners of the dispute,” she said. “So we became that margin that others don’t see as going to make the difference if the campaign engages us — and ties our truth to the future of our nation.”

Read more →

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What worries Stephen Breyer about the US’s democracy

By Kristen Welker

It’s been nearly two years since Stephen Breyer stepped down from the U.S. Supreme Court, and it’s been more than a year since his last TV interview.

However, I sat down with Breyer this week to discuss his new book, “Learning the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism,” as well as his thoughts on the Supreme Court, American politics, and the ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.

In our interview, Breyer talked about what worries him about the state of this nation’s democracy.

WELKER: Build you dread that too many people accumulate misplaced the flexibility to listen on this nation?

BREYER: Sure.

WELKER: And where does that leave us?

BREYER: Rotten.

WELKER: What does that potentially mean for the state of this nation’s democracy?

BREYER: Hi, look, there are two sides to many things. One, you mentioned the United States. Hi. Here’s, in part, the United States. So, the United States? We used to contemplate, and I still contemplate, that perhaps we’re not listening as much as we should.

Breyer also mentioned the flawed leak of the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade was “unfortunate.” I also asked him about reports that before the leak, discussions among the justices had been coalescing around a compromise that would have left Roe in place, while imposing a ban on abortion after 15 weeks.

WELKER: Did you think a compromise was likely before the leak? Around 15 weeks?

BREYER: I generally hope for compromise.

WELKER: So you had been hopeful that, on the whole, a compromise was possible?

BREYER: You’re trying to put words in my mouth. I’m careful about what I say on this. Because I believe our interests are different. I don’t need to gather information. I’ve written what I’ve thought. If you think there’s information here or in the dissent, go ahead and look. But I don’t want to say anything and make a disclosure.

WELKER: Correct form to make certain even though. Did you consider a compromise was likely?

BREYER: I always think it’s likely. I always — I always think it’s likely, in general, up until the last minute.

At a time when the Supreme Court is at the center of the 2024 election, Breyer’s words carry weight. Two of the most likely considerations voters will grapple with this November are reproductive rights and the future of the United States’ democracy.

Be sure to tune in Sunday to “Meet the Press” for more on Breyer’s thoughts about Roe v. Wade, guns and the Trump-linked cases before the Supreme Court.

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That’s all from The Politics Desk for now. If you have any thoughts — likes or dislikes — email us at [email protected]

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