New Ads Running Through Election Day to Highlight Immigration’s Role in AZ Senate and Arpaio Sheriff Race
As the final days of the 2012 campaign draw near, America’s Voice is launching a five-figure radio and online ad buy to inform Arizona Latino voters about the immigration positions taken by their candidates.
Starting today, the ads will run in heavy rotation through Election Day on Spanish-language radio outlets in Phoenix and Tucson, targeting the U.S. Senate race between Jeff Flake and Richard Carmona and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s race between Joe Arpaio and Paul Penzone. The ad buy in Arizona is a part of a six-figure effort that also encompasses a congressional race in California. The ads highlight the important distinctions on immigration that exist in each of these races.
The ads feature prominent Arizona-based DREAMers as the narrators of the spots, who state in both ads that Latino voters can “use their vote to stand up to the discriminatory and anti-immigrant policies.” They then go onto explain, “But not us. We’re the DREAMers, the undocumented young people of the DREAM Act who, without papers and without fear, fight to complete our college education, serve our country, and achieve a path to citizenship.”
In the ad targeting the U.S. Senate race, DREAMers highlight the candidates’ positions, stating that “US Senate candidate Richard Carmona will fight for us. Carmona knows what it’s like to work hard and fight for a better future. That’s why he strongly supports immigration reform and the DREAM act” and highlighting that, “The other candidate, Jeff Flake, turned his back on our community and voted against the DREAM Act.” This ad will run in both Phoenix and Tucson radio markets
Arizona DREAMers in the other ad, focusing on the Maricopa County Sheriff race, note that, “The candidate for Sheriff, Paul Penzone, will fight for us. Penzone rejects the extreme policies of Joe Arpaio, and he has said that while he’s in office, he will not permit abuse or violations of civil rights. Penzone is the only candidate who can defeat Arpaio and put an end to his 20 years of discrimination against Latinos.” This ad will run on Spanish-language radio in Phoenix only.
Click here for the full transcripts of the ads targeting Flake/Carmona and Arpaio/Penzone.
Latino Decisions recently conducted polling of Arizona Latinos for America’s Voice, and the results are clear. The issue of immigration reform is important to Latino voters, and the candidates’ positions on the issue matter. According to the poll, Carmona is leading 75%-12% over Flake among Arizona Latinos. Earlier Latino voter polls, including a national poll released in July focusing on Arizona’s SB 1070 and another Arizona Latino voter poll conducted in June, revealed much of the same about the importance of immigration in determining the voting behavior of Latinos.
Several of the DREAMers featured in the ads are available to explain why they think these races are important. If you’d like to learn more or schedule an interview with one of the DREAMers in the ads, please email press@americasvoiceonline.org.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
- Ad Scripts and Recordings:
- The Facts Behind America’s Voice Ads in Arizona: http://act.americasvoiceonline.org/page/-/americasvoice/reports/ad_arizona_final.pdf
- September 2012 Polling in Arizona from Latino Decisions and America’s Voice: http://www.latinodecisions.com/files/9413/4975/1039/Arizona_Toplines.pdf
- June 2012 Polling in Arizona from Latino Decisions and America’s Voice: http://www.latinodecisions.com/files/1013/4090/1192/5_state_results.pdf
- America’s Voice “Spotlight on Arizona” fact sheet: http://americasvoiceonline.org/research/spotlight-on-arizona-immigration-latino-voters-and-the-2012-elections/
- America’s Voice Profile of Six Senate races to watch, including a profile of immigration and Latino voters in Arizona’s Senate race: http://amvoice.3cdn.net/6e769e10cf9909f056_8qm6i28qe.pdf
America’s Voice — Harnessing the power of American voices and American values to win common sense immigration reform.
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