Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) speaks to the crowd at the main stage at the Broadacres Marketplace in North Las Vegas on Oct. 23. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, whose re-election last week handed Democrats control of the Senate, tells Axios that constant outreach to Latino voters in Nevada is one of the reasons for her win.
Why it matters: Cortez Masto — the first and only Latina U.S. senator — narrowly beat Republican Adam Laxalt.
What she's saying: "The energy that I saw in the Latino community in both parts of the state — they were active, they were engaged, they were paying attention," Cortez Masto told Axios.
- “It's so important that no voter — whether it's Latino or AAPI or any voter — no voter should be taken for granted."
Details: Cortez Masto's campaign began airing Spanish-language ads in March that highlighted her family's Mexican roots and immigration story.
- It also ran English-language ads featuring Latinos, and several of her campaign staff leaders are Latino.
Yes, but: Cortez Masto held on to her seat by a tiny margin.
- Polling showed Laxalt, who focused on crime and inflation, narrowed the gap in the week before the election.
Zoom in: Latinos make up 30% of Nevada's population and account for a significant portion of the membership of the powerful labor unions that helped Cortez Masto win re-election.
What's next: Cortez Masto says she will continue to push for a pathway to citizenship for immigrants brought to the country as children and for farmworkers, and to focus on combating inflation.
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