Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: Democrats’ next push to be more likable with Latinos

Democrats’ next push to be more likable with Latinos

Feb 18, 2026

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THE CATCH-UP

Content creator and veteran Carlos Eduardo Espina speaks on stage

“It's in the very early stages, but I think it's a great step in the right direction,” Carlos Eduardo Espina told Playbook. | Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

DOWN IN THE LONE STAR STATE: You may not have heard of Carlos Eduardo Espina. But there’s about 14 million people across the U.S. who follow the Uruguayan-American’s Spanish content on TikTok, almost religiously. And it’s influencers like him that are forming the bedrock of the Democratic Party’s latest bet to win back Latino voters going into the midterms.

With the primary in Texas already underway, BOLD PAC, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ campaign arm, kicked off a new digital-first strategy called RUIDO aimed at mobilizing Latino content creators — about 50, to start — to reach voters and get them to turn out for Democrats. It’s a new approach for a coalition of voters that has historically had abysmal turnout in off-year elections, and who often never interact with a candidate in local races or receive traditional outreach.

“I think Democrats quickly realized, we need to reach this new set and this new demographic, or this changing demographic, of people so we can understand what they're feeling, what they're thinking,” Espina told your author. And doing so could mean a “new brand of the Democratic Party.”

Democrats think they have an opening with Latinos as polling increasingly shows frustration with Trump’s immigration agenda and with the cost of living. But there’s another problem that influencers like Espina are hoping they can help with — Democrats just haven’t been likable, he told Playbook. That much is still evident in the latest AP-NORC polling that shows positivity hasn’t bounced back in parts of the party compared to 2024.

It was creators like Espina who started sounding alarms within the party back in 2021 that Latino voters were souring on the Biden administration’s immigration agenda. The shift of voters toward Trump — especially in Texas, where Espina lives — was something he saw coming for years. But these Latinos aren’t “permanent Trump voters,” as Espina put it, and can be reached through a more community-focused approach to politicking. Latinos especially are among the biggest consumers of social media like TikTok.

“It’s very interesting how I’ve been able to break into a very non-political crowd,” Espina said. “My audience is not watching MS NOW. They're not watching CNN.” The idea is a creator like Espina works with candidates to encourage early voting, to promote their message in Spanish and raise visibility across platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. The influencers can then provide feedback to the party about what their followers say actually matters to them. “It's in the very early stages, but I think it's a great step in the right direction,” he said.

The program’s aim is to lock in voters ahead of the general election, rather than waiting until crunch time in the fall when candidates start releasing Spanish ads. “Whatever votes turn out, you’re banking those votes for Election Day,” Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), one of the leaders at BOLD PAC, told Playbook. “It's great that they're doing this, because in order to win, we got to go where the voters are at.”

Republicans are also doubling down on their own push to keep Latino voters in their corner come Election Day, a Republican strategist, granted anonymity to discuss party strategy, told Playbook. “Do I think it changes anything?” they said of Democrats’ social media approach, “no, absolutely not.”

Just one day into early voting, there’s early signs that Democrats’ activation strategy may be paying off: the early vote among Latinos yesterday was 8 points higher than the first day of early voting in the last election cycle, BOLD PAC told Playbook. That’s just in Texas’ 29th District, where the PAC held its kickoff event and where Espina has been flooding the zone with early-voting posts.

“I think you’re going to see record numbers,” Rep. Sylvia Garcia, who represents and is running for reelection in the redrawn 29th District, told Playbook. “I know that it's going to make a difference in my race.”

AND IN SOUTH TEXAS: POLITICO’s Andrew Howard has a must-read on Tejano star Bobby Pulido, who was a top recruit for Democrats this cycle in Texas’ 15th District but is staring down a messy primary battle against ER doctor Ada Cuellar that has gotten increasingly personal. “We’re actually vetting the candidate,” Cuellar told Andrew. “The DCCC clearly didn’t vet him at all.” Pulido’s campaign, meanwhile, says it’s keeping the powder dry. “It’s become personal one way only,” Pulido said. “I haven’t responded. We’ve been really focused on talking to voters.”

Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Are you working on Texas House or Senate races? Reach out at abianco@politico.com.

GETTING THE GOVS TOGETHER: Join POLITICO’s 2026 Governors Summit at 9 a.m. tomorrow for incisive conversations about how state leaders are setting the national agenda. Key interviews include Utah’s Spencer Cox, Maryland’s Wes Moore, Oklahoma’s Kevin Stitt, Ohio’s Mike DeWine, Colorado’s Jared Polis and North Dakota’s Kelly Armstrong.Register here to attend in person or to watch the livestream

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8 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. WAR AND PEACE: President Donald Trump’s top peace negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, ended their talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials with little progress toward ending the war after two days of negotiations, POLITICO's Veronika Melkozerova reports from Kyiv. The talks, which were described as intense and messy, “failed to yield any broader breakthrough on halting hostilities, on prisoner of war exchanges or on a truce regarding strikes on energy infrastructure. The negotiations have largely become political theater, with each side trying to convince [Trump] that the other is to blame for the conflict dragging on.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was not at the meeting but, “told reporters on social media that ‘the negotiations were not easy,’” NYT’s Constant Méheut notes.

Back in the Western Hemisphere: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been holding secret meetings with Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, the 41-year-old grandson of Cuban dictator Raul Castro, bypassing official Cuban government channels, Axios’ Marc Caputo reports.

Board of Peace update: Pope Leo XIV has declined Trump’s invitation to participate in the Board of Peace, believing the U.N. should be the one to handle international crises, not the Trump-chaired board, POLITICO’s Tom Foley writes.

Middle East latest: “As Israel takes steps to claim land in West Bank, U.S. stands by,” by WaPo’s Abbie Cheeseman and colleagues: “Israel has moved aggressively in recent days to deepen its control over the occupied West Bank, unilaterally adopting policies that analysts say represent a major shift toward annexation and appear to defy President Donald Trump, who has said he opposes annexation but has not publicly pushed back on the Israeli measures.”

2. THE EPSTEIN FILES: Billionaire mogul Les Wexner told members of the House Oversight Committee today that he was “duped” by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whom Wexner called a “world-class con man,” AP’s Julie Carr Smyth reports from New Albany, Ohio. Wexner denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. “I was naïve, foolish, and gullible to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein. He was a con man. And while I was conned, I have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide,” Wexner said in a statement submitted to the Oversight Committee.

Attention on the files remains high: The latest polling from Reuters/Ipsos recorded 69 percent of respondents saying they believe the Epstein files “show that powerful people in the U.S. are rarely held accountable for their actions.”

3. YOU’VE GOT MAIL: Trump is pushing Congress to end voting-by-mail, a practice he has long railed against, arguing without substantial evidence that it is rife with fraud. But Republicans on the Hill are shrugging at Trump’s push, given much of their party has voted this way for decades, POLITICO’s Mia McCarthy reports. “Even as the president pushed to curtail mailed ballots, the RNC and state Republican parties worked to take advantage of the practice during the 2024 campaign to increase voter turnout — and they are planning to do much the same in 2026.”

4. RISE OF THE RESISTANCE: A collection of Democrats are planning to skip Trump’s State of the Union address to Congress next week, opting instead to hold a counterprogramming event on the National Mall, POLITICO’s Finya Swai writes. “The rally, dubbed the ‘People’s State of the Union,’ will include lawmakers who skipped Trump’s first and second inaugurations, underscoring a small but consistent block of Democrats who continue to opt out of the president’s most high-profile events.”

Democratic groups are also pushing back against Trump’s signature tax cuts, Semafor’s Burgess Everett reports. “The group Fair Share America is rebranding as Families Over Billionaires and launching the Stop the Billionaire Bailout PAC,” with plans “to raise $3 million, according to details first shared with Semafor, and aims to capitalize on new polling showing that voters want to raise taxes on billionaires and corporations.”

POLITICO Governors Summit

Join POLITICO's annual Governors Summit, held alongside the National Governors Association’s Winter Meeting, for a series of forward-looking conversations with governors from across the country about how state leaders are setting the agenda for America’s next chapter. Hear from Gov. Wes Moore (D), Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), and more. Register Now.

5. ONE TO WATCH IN CALIFORNIA: “Meta’s Zuckerberg faces questioning at youth addiction trial,” by Reuters’ Jody Godoy: “Meta Platforms CEO and billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is set to be questioned for the first time in a U.S. court on Wednesday about Instagram's effect on the mental health of young users … Meta may have to pay damages if it loses the case, and the verdict could erode Big Tech's longstanding legal defense against claims of user harm. … Meta and Google have denied the allegations, and pointed to their work to add features that keep users safe.”

6. CLIMATE FILES: The first lawsuit has been filed against the EPA over its decision to rollback its “endangerment finding” on federal climate regulation, NYT’s Karen Zraick reports. The lawsuit, filed by environmental and health groups yesterday, argues the agency’s decision to eliminate limits on certain greenhouse gases is illegal. … Meanwhile at the state level, as the federal government rolls back its regulations, Democratic-led local states are ramping up their efforts to address climate change, though “a patchwork of state climate policies” may not be enough to offset the damage, NYT’s Maxine Joselow writes.

7. PRIMARY COLORS: “AIPAC accused of covert campaigning as Democratic support falters,” by WaPo’s Matthew Choi: “Democrats in the state say they have seen an influx of ads focusing on issues ranging from immigration to health care by groups named Elect Chicago Women and Affordable Chicago Now. None of the ads mention Israel, and none of the groups are publicly affiliated with AIPAC. But the ads benefit candidates favored by AIPAC donors.”

8. TRAIL MIX: Cinde Warmington launched another New Hampshire gubernatorial bid today, setting up Democrats’ first major challenger to GOP Gov. Kelly Ayotte in hopes of flipping the state, POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky and Kelly Garrity report. She first ran in 2024 but lost the nomination to Mayor Joyce Craig. … Dan Helmer, a Democratic state delegate from Virginia who’s been a pivotal part of the push to redraw Virginia’s congressional maps, is entering the race for the 7th District that will be formed if voters approve the redistricting gambit, NYT’s Reid Epstein reports.

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TALK OF THE TOWN

EAST WING BALLROOM LATEST — “What Trump’s Latest East Wing Designs Show,” by NYT’s Junho Lee and Ashley Wu: “These are the first renderings that include details about a garden that would replace the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, which was demolished with the old East Wing. … To accommodate the massive size of the proposed East Wing, the main pathway around the South Lawn has been altered and is no longer symmetrical, renderings show.”

PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “When politics comes to the parenting group chat,” by WaPo’s Maura Judkis: “These days, the proverbial village — the one it takes to raise a child — is often facilitated via group chat. Petworth Peanuts, and its affiliated WhatsApp chats, started in 2020 as a group of 15 moms with newborns, but it became so popular that it was eventually formalized into a 501(c)3 … Some parents believed that the political circumstances in D.C. meant the group should engage in more activism and community organizing. Others felt it would be better for members interested in activism to join community groups already doing that work … Still, I was caught off guard by how swiftly and furiously Petworth Peanuts came apart.”

TRANSITIONS — Richard Tesoriero is now a professional staff member for the House Budget Committee. He most recently worked for Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.). … Ally Triolo is joining the RNC as election integrity comms director. She previously worked for Rep. Vince Fong (R-Calif.). … Pascal Rathle is now director for the Americas at the global intellectual community World.Minds, based in D.C. He most recently worked at a single family office that invested globally.

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