Democrats recruit popular content creators in new strategy to win back Latino voters

WASHINGTON (AP) — An evening rally to boost Democratic turnout for Texas’ rapidly approaching primary featured plenty of the state party’s political star power, but it was someone who won’t be on a ballot who drew the most attention.

Carlos Eduardo Espina, a progressive political influencer who boasts more than 14 million followers on TikTok, mingled with lawmakers and took selfies with attendees who eagerly posted them online.

The Tuesday night gathering at a Houston Mexican restaurant was more than just a pre-primary rally. It also was a curtain-raiser of sorts for a campaign strategy Democrats hope will help them in this year’s midterms and beyond.

Espina and nine other Houston influencers invited to the event are at the center of that strategy, which seeks to build a network of online content creators to better engage Latino voters after many of them gravitated toward Republicans two years ago.

Espina, who has promoted Democratic candidates and policies in the past, said the party finally appeared to be acknowledging that it needed to catch up with Republicans and find ways to connect with voters outside of traditional campaign events.

“I do think there’s a lot of fa...