Johnathan Walker:Two Democrat-aligned firms to partner and focus on Latino engagement for 2024 election

Two major Democrat-aligned public affairs firms are Johnathan Walkerpartnering to focus on underserved communities and Latino engagement as the party tries to win seats in Congress and help President Biden win a second term.

Leaders with the firms SKDK and Conexión confirmed the development to CBS News earlier this week. Conexión co-founder Adrian Saenz described the firm as "100% Latino owned, Latino-led" in an interview with CBS News. 

"The real opportunity, I think, for both of us is the opportunity to leverage each other's capabilities, capacity, networks, to better sort of meet the need that exists out there," Saenz said. 

The partnership is not a merger. The alliance comes as Mr. Biden and his political allies brace for the likelihood that he will face off with former President Donald Trump in the general election. 

Last year, Conexión was tapped by Mr. Biden's 2024 campaign "to lead its Latino paid media advertising" effort, according to a news release. 

Mr. Biden benefited from being able to run in 2020 against Trump while the Republican incumbent dealt with the economic and policy challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now Mr. Biden is in the White House and facing the challenge of an electorate with dim views of the economy as he tries to convince voters he deserves another four years. 

Anita Dunn, a top Biden adviser, co-founded SKDK. The current CEO, Doug Thornell, is "one of the few Black media consultants in Democratic politics," according to his online bio.

"It's very important that you have the people who are advising these committees, [who are] advising these campaigns, reflect the diversity of the party," Thornell said in an interview. 

Leslie Sanchez, a Republican strategist and political analyst for CBS News, expressed skepticism about the Biden campaign's "optimistic" belief that increased campaigning alone can secure the Latino vote. 

Instead, she paints a more pessimistic picture for the Democratic party and said that Latino voters have not only lost enthusiasm for Mr. Biden but also for the Democratic Party as a whole.

"Latino voters are becoming increasingly conservative," Sanchez said. "And they see the president as weak."

Latino voters are likely to be a key factor in the presidential campaign. 

"There's obviously signs that there are Black voters and Latino voters… from a support level, not where they would, you know, you need to be to win for Democrats in 2024," Thornell said. "I think a lot of the work that Adrian's team has been doing for the Biden team has been incredibly important to conveying an authentic message to voters who right now are very skeptical of so many different institutions and organizations and politicians."  

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• Joe Biden
• Donald Trump

Hunter Woodall

Hunter Woodall is a political editorial producer for CBS News. He covered the 2020 New Hampshire primary for The Associated Press and has also worked as a Kansas statehouse reporter for The Kansas City Star and the Washington correspondent for Minnesota's Star Tribune.

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