ALLENTOWN, Pa. — With less than four weeks before the 2024 presidential election, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild broke bread with local Latino leaders and a VIP guest to stress the outsized reach the Lehigh Valley's Hispanic voters will have on the 2024 election.
Wild led U.S. Rep. Pete Auguilar, D-Calif., on a brief tour of Downtown Allentown on Wednesday. After engaging in some brief retail politics at the Dominican restaurant El Tablazo and the bodega El Mercadito on Seventh Street, the pair joined campaign volunteers and local supporters for an early lunch at La Cocina del Abuelo.
Historically, Latino voters haven't always made their presence felt in the region's elections. In 2020, Latino-majority neighborhoods saw turnout nearly 20 points lower than the rest of Lehigh and Northampton counties.
"You have the ability to be the single most powerful voting bloc, and the votes are what drives what gets done."U.S. Rep. Susan Wild
But their booming numbers in the Lehigh Valley make them a growing force in local politics. About 1 in 5 residents in Lehigh and Northampton counties identified as Latino or Hispanic in the 2020 Census. More than half of Allentown residents identify as Latino; so do about 30% of Bethlehem residents and almost a quarter of Easton residents.
"You have the ability to be the single most powerful voting bloc, and the votes are what drives what gets done," Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, said of the Latino community.
Aguilar, the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, is the latest high-profile Democrat to stump in the region for Wild.
Her race, Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, is among the most contested in the nation, and VIPs have repeatedly visited to boost her voter outreach. Minority House Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y, is scheduled to appear in Easton on Thursday to campaign for Wild as well.
They spoke with volunteers and supporters for Wild's re-election campaign over tacos, tortilla chips and fruit salad at the Hamilton Street restaurant.
Victor Martinez, the owner of the La Mega radio station, and Guillermo Lopez, a retired steelworker, shared some of the region's history with Aguilar over lunch.
They spoke about how Bethlehem Steel provided a source of jobs that attracted Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and others into the Lehigh Valley over the decades. While they weren't immediately accepted — police in Bethlehem would beat migrants who stayed out too late, Lopez said — they started their own civic organizations and eventually became part of the community. Their children and grandchildren are now starting businesses and holding elected office.
Aguilar said the story reminded him of his own district's history in the San Bernadino Valley. Like his home, the Latinos who first came for hard manual labor — manufacturing here, agricultural work there — have arrived.
"The Latino community is growing up. [You're] opening up those doors that weren't open."U.S. Rep. Pete Auguilar
"The Latino community is growing up," he said. "[You're] opening up those doors that weren't open."
Part of that maturation process means taking on leadership roles and working with elected officials to strengthen the community. Wild, he said, is driven to improve the lives of her constituents. Those efforts include improving the lives of the local Latino community, he said.
"As someone who works with her every day in D.C., Susan Wild has your back. You need to know that," Aguilar said.
Wild's PA-7 district includes all of Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties plus a sliver of Monroe County. Wild is seeking a fourth term in office but is opposed by state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a 12-year veteran of the state House.
Political observers have identified PA-7 as one of about two dozen toss-up congressional districts in the country. With the House narrowly divided between Republicans and Democrats, the winner here could tilt the balance of power in Congress.
Thanks to the timing of the election cycle, local voters may be some of the most powerful in the United States. Pollsters point to Pennsylvania as a critical swing state in the presidential race, and the neck-and-neck U.S. Senate race could determine control of the chamber.
"PA-7 is the center of the universe," Wild said.
