Biden campaign targets Latino voters with 'media blitz' around Copa America 2024

President Joe Biden's campaign is spending millions on advertisements and activations around the 2024 Copa America soccer tournament, which begins Thursday night in Atlanta.

The Biden campaign kicked off the "seven-figure media blitz" with a new political advertisement to coincide with the Argentina vs. Canada opening match and is hoping to connect with Latino voters in battleground states, according to a campaign statement released Thursday.

Copa América is one of the largest and highest viewership men’s soccer tournaments in the world and is expected to be the most-watched Spanish-language TV program of the year on TelevisaUnivision networks prior to the November election, the network's president of sports told Sports Business Journal.

The Biden campaign also mentioned Lionel Messi's arrival to Major League Soccer as a catalyst for soccer's growing significance among U.S. audiences, along with the popularity of television show “Ted Lasso” and the “Welcome to Wrexham" documentary.

The focus on Copa America is an effort to connect with the growing U.S. soccer fan base, and Latino voters in particular. In addition to the television and radio advertisements, the campaign will throw sponsored Copa America watch parties, pass out branded gear, host events at local bars and restaurants in swing states Nevada and Arizona and providing "bilingual toolkits" with Biden conversation guides for volunteers to use during at-home viewings of the Copa America matches. The watch parties will also serve as volunteer recruitment opportunities.

“Our campaign knows the power of showing up to earn the Latino vote, and today’s historic announcement to organize and mobilize around Copa América is a perfect example of doing that important work,” Biden-Harris 2024 Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in the news release.

“Throughout the next few weeks, we will harness the energy of Copa to mobilize and reach the Latino voters who will decide this election in their communities, on the airwaves, and at Copa matches.”