Hispanics make up more than one-quarter of Nevada’s population and they could be an important factor in November’s election.
With immigration emerging as a wedge issues, many Hispanics running for office, and the controversies surrounding the candidacy of Donald Trump, much of this year’s political news touches the Hispanic community.
The result is unprecedented interest in the election among Spanish speakers nationally and in Nevada. That has in turn sparked interest among the news media and political operations to reach those people.
Xochitl Sandoval is the news director for Telemundo Las Vegas. She told KNPR's State of Nevada that she is noticing a lot more engagement and involvement in this election year from her viewers than in the past.
"Sometimes as difficult it maybe to digest political information for a lot of our viewers, I see them more engaged and more involved," she said.
Sandoval said it is the goal of the station to provide the information viewers need to make an informed choice at the voting booth. She said the station goes to great lengths to make sure different sides of an issue is heard.
"It is extremely important for us to get the message that our viewers have a voice here," she said, "And that they can participate. And our role has become to educate them."
Fernando Romero heads up Hispanics in Politics, the oldest Hispanic political group in Las Vegas. His groups' breakfasts at Doña Maria Tamales restaurant downtown are almost mandatory for politicians.
He said TV stations like Telemundo are vital to the Spanish-speaking population of Southern Nevada. He feels the other TV stations should give more coverage to the Latino community.
"Other networks really don't care that much unless it's an over-the-top news item," he said, "Telemundo gives us what we're looking for."
Romero believes it is sad that with 720,000 Latinos in Southern Nevada more attention isn't paid by the English-language stations.
Without question one of the biggest issues for the Hispanic community here and around the country is immigration. Romero said immigration makes its way into all of the other top concerns from education to the economy and jobs.
Leo Murrietta is a political and social media consultant. He said he has seen a push through social media and other more traditional media for people to get their citizenship and to register to vote.
He said the push is directly tied to the rhetoric from the Republican Party and the presumptive nominee Donald Trump.
"Our community is paying attention," he said "And we're talking about it."
Murrietta said when you have a national candidate for president describing people like himself and his family and his friends as " rapists," and "criminals" and "drug dealers" that "people get upset."
"The push back from the Latino and immigrant community has been we're not going to tolerate it anymore," he said.
Sandoval said because of the interest she knows her viewers have for the issue her reporters will do more in-depth coverage.
"We explain things. We go more in-depth," she said, "What could it mean to you and your family."
Xochitl Sandoval, news director, Telemundo Las Vegas; Fernando Romero, Hispanics In Politics; Leo Murrietta, political consultant