Hillary wants (no, needs) the Latino vote—and she just scored the endorsement of two mega-stars

Hillary Clinton is making a big push to win Latino voters with a pitch that so far has included early high-profile endorsements from celebrities including actress Salma Hayek and salsa singer Marc Anthony, who’s already campaigning for her on social media.

The Clinton campaign recently rolled out its “Latinos with Hillary” initiative, which seeks to attract Hispanic voters in states with large Latino populations including Florida, Texas, Nevada and Colorado. The push was timed to coincide with the start of Hispanic Heritage Month.

While Clinton remains the frontrunner for the Democratic Party nomination, she has seen her lead over Senator Bernie Sanders narrow, and the push to consolidate her support among Latinos could be a sign she is looking shore up her base of support.

Last week, Sanders announced a new director of Latino outreach, Arturo Carmona, a former executive director of the Los Angeles-based Latino advocacy group, Presente.org. The appointment was an indication the Vermont senator is also looking to step up his Latino game, as polls show Clinton with the lion’s share of non-white voters.

Clinton’s effort to consolidate her Latino support got a boost this week from Mexican-born Salma Hayek, who threw her support behind team Hillary.

In a campaign email, Hayek took a swipe at Donald Trump, becoming the latest Latino celebrity to publicly criticize the GOP presidential hopeful’s anti-immigration rhetoric.

Es incredible that the leading candidate of the Republican Party has been irresponsibly campaigning, using unfounded and insulting accusations against the Latino community to win votes,” Hayek wrote.

“We are one of the largest, youngest, and fastest-growing groups in the United States of America. We deserve a candidate who respects the contributions we have made to this country and understands how important it is that our community continues to thrive, all while treating us con dignidad y respeto.”

Clinton also secured the support of Marc Anthony. The candidate appeared onstage with the salsa singer last week during a concert in Miami.

The Clinton campaign played up the appearance.

Actor Wilmer Valderrama, who starred in ‘That ‘70s Show,” hasn’t officially endorsed Clinton, but has expressed his enthusiasm for her campaign on Twitter. “Have you guys met my new friend Hillary Clinton? She’s running for president. Inspired by our conversation,” he tweeted to his nearly 600,000 followers.

 
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