During a recent White House reception for National Hispanic Heritage Month, President Joe Biden made a light-hearted comment about his future after the presidency. The event, celebrating the contributions of Hispanic Americans, took place on Wednesday from September 15 to October 15.
Biden hosted the celebration in the East Room, joined by actress Jessica Alba. Alba, who has Mexican roots, opened the event by sharing insights about her heritage and expressing her support for Biden’s administration.
The president welcomed the attendees and gave a shout-out to Alba, saying, “She’s an actor, producer, advocate, author, and she knows how to build companies.” Notably, Alba co-founded The Honest Company, which reached a valuation of $1.4 billion during its IPO in 2021; she stepped down from her role earlier this year.
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As Biden leaned closer to the microphone, he quipped, “Jessica, if I’m really good, maybe you can get me a job!” This drew applause and laughter from the crowd. Earlier this year, Biden announced he would not seek reelection, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
On the same day, Harris spoke at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Annual Leadership Conference in D.C. Recent polling from YouGov/The Economist indicates Harris has gained traction among Hispanic voters, leading former President Donald Trump 56% to 34%. The remaining 10% includes undecided voters and those who wouldn’t participate.
With the upcoming election approaching, Latino support is crucial, particularly in Southwestern states like Arizona and Nevada, which have significant Latino populations. Census data shows Arizona has about 2.3 million Latinos.
A recent Univision poll found the Democratic candidate holding a 25-point lead among Latino voters in Arizona, a key state Biden won by a narrow margin in 2020.
Current state polls show a tight race between Harris and Trump, each drawing nearly equal support. FiveThirtyEight’s aggregator has them tied at 47.1%, while other sources report them at 47.2% and 48%, respectively.