How Julio Vaqueiro and Telemundo Are Preparing for the 2024 Election

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to spotlight the voices of America’s vibrant Hispanic and Latino communities spread across the country from sea to shining sea. And that spotlight is shining brighter than ever this year courtesy of the 2024 presidential election, with the Latino vote shaping up to be one of the deciding factors in whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump enters the Oval Office in January.

That’s a subject that Noticias Telemundo anchor Julio Vaqueiro is well-versed in. “Latinos will be pivotal in this election cyle,” Vaqueiro tells TVNewser, adding that young voters in battleground states like Arizona and Nevada are a particularly desired demographic for both campaigns. “There are more than 36 million Latinos who are eligible to vote—that’s a huge number.”

And the anchor stresses that, popular perception aside, those 36 million votes—up from 32 million in the 2020 election—aren’t necessarily all going in the Democratic column. “We say this every election, but Latinos are not a monolith,” he notes. “It’s a complex and diverse voting block, and I think people are only just understanding that.”

The issues that could sway the voting block this election cycle are so nuanced that NBCUniversal’s Spanish-language network is making it a priority keep its audience abreast and informed as Election Day races closer and closer. Telemundo’s efforts include its Decision 2024 initiative, which provides information and resources across a variety of platforms; a larger presence on social media networks, particularly TikTok; and the What’sApp verification service T Verifica.

The network is also pushing more aggressively into the free ad supported television (FAST) realm, as well as the live event space and podcasting. It’s all part of a stated desire to meet the Latino audience where they are… which increasingly isn’t limited to linear or cable television.

Despite that fractured media environment, Vaqueiro says that his job essentially remains the same—to be a face that the audience knows and trusts no matter the platform. “I try to produce informative and, if possible, entertaining stories to make sure that Latinos get the news they need for them to make an informed decision [on Election Day],” he remarks. “It’s a huge responsibility and a huge commitment—but also a huge privilege.”

Asked about the issues that he most often hears when he talks to Latino voters, Vaqueiro cites the economy, immigration and, specifically, the Southern border—a subject that he believes is the biggest weakness for both Harris as well as President Joe Biden. “They are focusing on border security much more, because they know it’s a liability,” he observes. “She has more explanations and reassurances to give voters, probably.”

On the Trump side of the election equation, Vaqueiro says that he’d most like the former president to clarify the shifting explanations behind his proposed “mass deportations” policy for immigrants. “I would like for him to explain what he really means and get the details of who would be impacted,” he says. “It’s important to know exactly how they are going to carry that out.”

Even once this election is in the rearview, the power of the Latino vote is only going to continue to grow. By 2028, millions of new voters will be ready to make their voices heard at the polls and their concerns will continue to diversify. “Sometimes I wonder if even [Latinos] understand Latino voters,” Vaqueiro muses. “The community has changes so much—people have come from different countries, and different ages and generations now live in different parts of the United States.”

“To be honest, some would describe themselves as Americans rather than Latinos,” he adds. “All those elements make a it a really diverse and complex community, and that’s going to be the same [for 2028] for sure.”

Editor’s note: In this article, ADWEEK deviated from its style of using “Latinx” due to the writer’s preference. “Latine” is a gender-neutral form of the word Latino.