The U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce threw its weight behind Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate John Kasich in dual endorsements on Thursday -- the first time the Latino business group has ever endorsed in the presidential election.
"We should be involved in this dialogue, particularly at a time like this, when it has gotten so divisive and so bombastic," USHCC president and CEO Javier Palomarez said in an interview. "Business needs to have a voice."
The endorsements released by USHCC featured praise for Kasich, the governor of Ohio, and Clinton, a former secretary of state. But they also warned against the other candidates, especially GOP front-runner Donald Trump.
"There is so much at stake in this election and our country cannot afford to have those who would divide our nation and prey on the fears of the American people as our President," Palomarez said in statements on Clinton and on Kasich. "By way of example, Donald Trump's hateful rhetoric toward women, immigrants, the disabled, Muslims, and the Hispanic community not only divides our country, but sends a clear message that Hispanic voters won't forget: he does not stand with our community."
The endorsement comes as Kasich significantly trails Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for the Republican nomination. On the Democratic side, Clinton leads Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, whom Palomarez dismissed in a statement as having "empty rhetoric and lackluster record."
The Latino population is powerful, especially in the general election and Democratic primary. In the Republican primary, where Kasich is sorely in need of a boost, it may be less so. But he currently has far lower name recognition among Latino voters than Trump or Cruz, according to recent polling by Latino Decisions (a firm that does work for Clinton), commissioned by immigration reform group America's Voice. Nineteen percent of Latino voters said they had not heard of him, while among those who had, 27 percent had a favorable view of him and 37 percent had an unfavorable one.
Kasich has taken a softer tone than Trump or Cruz have on immigration reform, which ranks as an important issue -- although not the top one -- for most Latino voters. He is less divisive in general, and better for businesses, Palomarez said, citing improvements to Ohio's economy under Kasich.
"This is a guy with a history of getting stuff done," he said in an interview.
Kasich participated in a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Q&A in October, not long after Trump bailed on its planned event with him. Cruz participated in an event with the group in April.
Clinton and Sanders have also spoken to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, but Clinton earned its endorsement because of her longtime work with the Latino community, Palomarez said.
They decided against Sanders in part because some of his policies go against the USHCC mission, he said. Breaking up the banks "sounds wonderful and some people might gravitate to that message," but those banks provide most of the loans given to Latino-owned small businesses, Palomarez said. Sanders has also been critical of H-1B visas for workers, which USHCC supports.
Clinton probably needs a boost with Latino voters less than Kasich does. She has outperformed Sanders with Latino voters, and won the primaries in Texas, Arizona, Florida and Nevada, the states with the second-, fourth- and fifth-highest proportion of eligible Latino voters, according to Pew Research Center.
The May primary states also have relatively small Latino populations, but June will have contests in New Mexico, where Latinos make up the highest share of eligible voters of any state, and California, where they make up the third-largest proportion.
USHCC already endorsed candidates for vice president: Democrat Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro and Republican New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez. It also endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in his re-election bid.
More endorsements are to come, Palomarez said.
"This is not about political ideology or political parties, this is about finding the right people, the people we think are best-suited for the jobs," he said. "America needs leadership right now, and we intend to get into the business of picking those leaders."
Clinton released a statement saying she was proud to have USHCC's backing and would work as president to "break down the barriers that face too many small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs."
"We must expand access to capital, cut red tape, and unlock new markets for small businesses so that they can grow, create more jobs, and sell their products all over the world," she said. "And fixing our broken immigration system by passing comprehensive immigration reform will also strengthen our small businesses, families, and communities. Immigration reform is good for America, it’s good for our economy, and it will bring millions of families out of the shadows."
A spokesman for Kasich did not respond to a request for comment on the endorsement.
This article has been updated to include a statement from Hillary Clinton.
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