Democrats have struggled with Latino men. Can these Arizona lawmakers fire them up?

In 2020, when Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Arizona since 1996, Representative Ruben Gallego celebrated.

The triumph was especially poignant given that 10 years earlier, Arizona had passed SB 1070, requiring law enforcement to check anyone suspected of being in the country illegally to provide proof of legal residence. The law served as a template for the type of anti-immigrant policies that Donald Trump championed.

One X user had asked Gallego in 2020 how Democrats could better reach the “Latinx” community. “First start by not using the term Latinx. Second we have to be in front of them year round not just election years. That’s what we did in AZ,” he said.

Four years later at a rally in Glendale, Gallego was one of many Democrats who warmed up the crowd before Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage, speaking in a mix of English and Spanish.

“This excitement, this enthusiasm to fight for a better, brighter Arizona is what we need. ¡Juntos! Y Unidos! Siempre,” he said, the last three words meaning “together and united forever.” Later that day, Gallego and Harris went to a Mexican restaurant to campaign together.

Gallego is part of a generation of Latino Democratic elected officials who cut their teeth when Arizona was more conservative. And now, he’s one of several local leaders who might help Harris win in Arizona.

As Harris infuses new energy into the Democratic ticket, Latino Democrats are far more willing to campaign with her — and point out how her populist economic policies can help Latino voters. This is key during a time when many Latinos do not see the Democratic Party as being particularly interested in the issues that matter to them.

Ever since Biden announced he