Obama, Romney to participate in “Meet the Candidates” events hosted by Univision
Maria Elena Salinas and Jorge Ramos will host “Meet the Candidate” events with Romney and Obama.
By EMILY DERUY
President Obama and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney have both agreed to attend “Meet the Candidate” events hosted by Univision in partnership with Facebook.
The Spanish-language network was denied a request to host an official presidential debate, but both men will sit down separately for question-and-answer sessions moderated by Univision’s nightly newscast anchors Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas. The events will likely take place in front of live audiences, and air later with a Spanish-language translation.
The dates of the interviews have not been announced, but will take place in the run-up to the election.
The sessions will mark the first time any presidential candidate has reached out to Hispanic voters for an in-depth, interactive event. Millions of Hispanics are expected to cast ballots in November, and Latino voters stand to play a significant role in swing states such as Florida and Colorado.
While Obama holds a sizable lead over Romney among Latino voters, Romney has launched a series of Spanish-language ads and a Spanish-language website aimed at attracting Hispanic voters. These events will offer each candidate the chance to talk directly to Latino voters. Many favor Obama’s healthcare reform, but the job and economy are top concerns among Hispanics, and Romney will likely have a chance to tout his plans to boost the struggling economy.
The talks will center around education and the future of the Hispanic community. Univision will ask for questions and comments from the audience in advance of the events on the Univision Noticia Facebook page.
Facebook’s election hub, the U.S. Politics on Facebook Page, will also highlight the events.
“These events speak to President Obama and Governor Romney recognizing the important role Hispanic America will play in the elections and in defining the future of our country,” Isaac Lee, Univision’s president of news, said in a statement.
The events are part of a larger effort by Univision to cover the election on a variety of platforms. The network recently announced that English-language site Univision News would partner with YouTube to cover the election.
(Photo: screenshot/YouTube)
