In a bold move to connect with California's diverse electorate, gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra – former U.S. Health Secretary – is launching a Spanish-language TikTok campaign targeting Latino voters. The strategy comes as Democrats seek to counter recent rightward shifts among Hispanic communities in both traditionally conservative and progressive states.
New Pew Research data reveals 49% of Hispanic adults use TikTok, significantly outpacing Black (39%) and white (28%) users. Becerra's team aims to capitalize on this trend through culturally tailored content, though the campaign maintains flexibility to expand beyond Spanish-language posts.
The digital push unfolds against a backdrop of evolving political tech strategies. While former President Trump previously sought to ban TikTok's parent company ByteDance, he now maintains millions of followers on the platform. Meanwhile, the Biden administration recently established an official White House TikTok account.
Political analysts note this represents a strategic shift as campaigns experiment with newer platforms. 'Latino voters could decide key races nationwide,' said Maria Gonzalez, a UC Berkeley political scientist. 'Platforms like TikTok offer direct access to younger, bilingual demographics often missed by traditional outreach.'
Democrats hope early adoption will help counter Republican gains, particularly after improved Trump performance among Latinos in 2022 races. The strategy contrasts with current federal efforts to reduce multilingual government services under English-language prioritization policies.
