Tom Llamas.Photo: Nathan Congleton
As journalists around the nation prepare for Election Day, one NBC News broadcaster has his eyes laser-focused on how Latino Americans will cast their ballots.
Tom Llamas, host of the eponymousTop Story with Tom LlamasonNBC News NOW, believes Latino voters will prove key in electing the next wave of U.S. leaders, as polling shows a growing number of people in the generally left-leaning voting bloc now open to supporting Republicans who promise to tackle crime and restore the economy.
Llamas, who will co-lead NBC News NOW’s election night coverage, tells PEOPLE about the key midterm races where Latino values will be put to the test — and why his mission to tell Latino stories will continue after Tuesday.
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Tom Llamas.Nathan Congleton
You’ve spent a lot of energy in this election cycle focusing in on the Latino vote. What can this demographic tell us about the larger picture of U.S. politics?
In a tight election, every little bit counts. Republican efforts to court Latino voters could be the deciding factor in several races. I had a Democratic candidate for the House tell me she thought Democrats were taking Latino voters for granted, and she wasn’t trying to hide it. She told me on camera.
What midterms races are you keeping a careful eye on this year?
You’re a key face of NBC News' midterm elections coverage, co-anchoring coverage on election night along with Hallie Jackson on NBC News NOW. What can you tell us about NBC News' midterms coverage and the streaming audience?
I think there is a serious appetite for politics on streaming. I think what Hallie and I are working on with our teams is something special. It will set the tone for one of the biggest nights in politics. It’s going to be a fast-paced but comprehensive look at the midterms.
We have a massive team dispatched all over the country and the best analysts giving up-the-minute updates. Hallie is an incredible journalist and woman, and I’m looking forward to teaming up with her for our early coverage.
Let’s move away from the midterms a bit. On your show,Top Story with Tom Llamas, you have a segment called “The Americas” that highlights current events in Latin America. Why is this important to you?
As a Cuban American growing up in Miami, my family would watch the news in English but also Spanish to get news out of Latin America. I always thought it was strange that we had to do this — why wouldn’t the English language news cover our neighbors to the south, the place where one of the fastest growing groups of Americans originate from?
In Miami, the local news did a very good job of covering the region. But when I lived in New Orleans for college and later New York for work, I noticed a clear void.
As anchor and managing editor ofTop Story, I have a real responsibility to help select the stories we cover. I feel it’s my duty to cover Latin America. Not because I’m Hispanic, but because I believe a well-informed country is a stronger country. It’s time that our audiences understand what’s happening not only in theU.K.,RussiaandChina, but alsoMexico,Brazil, andEl Salvador.
source: people.com
