How is Ted Cruz reaching Hispanic voters in Texas in Senate race against Colin Allred?

Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is working to win over Texas’ Hispanic voters with song and a multi-million dollar investment.

Cruz’s campaign announced Thursday that it is spending $4.4 million on broadcast advertisements, billboards, text messages and phone calls aimed at Hispanic voters. The investment is the largest Cruz has made in the Hispanic community, according to his campaign, and comes as he faces a November challenge against U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, a Dallas Democrat.

Both candidates are reaching out to Hispanic Texans in a state with an estimated 6.5 million eligible Hispanic voters as of 2022, according to the Pew Research Center.

The push from Cruz’s campaign is expected to include a series of ads, the first of which is titled “El Valiente Senador” — The Brave Senator.

The voter appeal is delivered in the form of a corrido, a traditional style of Mexican song, that tells the story of a senator who defends the border and fights against high taxes.

The Hispanic community understands the importance of family, security, jobs and freedom, said campaign spokesperson Macarena Martinez in a statement.

“It has long been said that Hispanics are Republican, they just don’t know it yet, which is why Senator Cruz is committed to ensuring that every Hispanic household hears his message loud and clear,” Martinez said. “This election is about Keeping Texas, Texas, and the Hispanic community is integral to making sure that happens in November.”

Allred began airing Spanish-language ads in May, according to his campaign. The ads announced in May discuss his upbringing and how it shaped him, as well as efforts to secure the border and protect Social Security.

“Ted Cruz will slash Social Security and Medicare benefits and he supports a harmful abortion ban that forces rape victims to flee the state for reproductive care,” Allred Spokesperson Josh Stewart said in a statement. “Ted Cruz will say anything in an attempt to distract from his record, but Texans will reject his policies in November and elect a Senator who will put them first.”

A poll from the University of Houston and Texas Southern University had Cruz ahead by 3 percentage points among likely Texas voters. Allred led among Latino likely voters with 47% of votes to Cruz’s 39%.