A new super PAC has already raised $2 million in support of Latino House members and candidates ahead of the midterm election this November. The initiative could be expanded to other Democratic candidates in the Senate race.

Super PACs have become increasingly prominent in recent US election cycles as a sophisticated form of political operation, thanks to a quirk in the federal campaign finance system, which prevents the public from knowing who is funding the campaign before the primaries.

Started by campaign veterans who have worked for Democrats Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden, the America United initiative aims to raise about US$6 million in the current election cycle to fill financial gaps in support of Latino candidates.

According to the “Newsweek”, the group “has already pledged more than $200,000 for independent expenditures to each candidate it is endorsing, including representatives Tony Cárdenas, Nanette Barragán, Ruben Gallego and Henry Cuellar. It has further pledged to help candidates Yadira Caraveo in Colorado's 8th Congressional District and Ruben Ramirez in Texas’ 15th Congressional District”. 

According to Chuck Rocha, the Democrat consultant who led Bernie Sanders’ 2020 Latino voters program called America United the “bilingual smash-mouth PAC”, which will help elect many Democrats, including Latinos, as many nonprofits’ profiteers encounter limitations in the kind of political work they can do.

“The PAC's second endorsement slate will likely expand to include congressional Black Caucus members and Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) members or candidates. […] However, the new group debuts at a time when Democrats are facing internal criticism from Latino Democrats over the level of their commitment to representation and inclusion”, according to Newsweek.

“The issue broke into public view Monday, April 11, when the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' political arm BOLDPAC released a statement condemning House Majority PAC's $1 million investment backing Carrick Flynn in the Democratic primary for Oregon's 6th Congressional District at the expense of three Latinos in the race: Andrea Salinas, Teresa Alonso Leon and Ricky Barajas. BOLDPAC, which is spending millions on its own slate of candidates and endorsed Salinas, blasted House Majority PAC, […] saying it ‘has deliberately chosen not to endorse Andrea Salinas, a candidate who is among the most qualified Latinas running in a congressional race anywhere in the country’”.

Vanessa Cárdenas, president of Cárdenas Strategies, told Newsweek that many mainstream super PACs have not done a good job in prioritizing Latino candidates in their endorsement process, which would help them elevate their profiles and raise money. “As progressists, we worry about the Latino vote," Cárdenas said, "and one way to help get the Latino vote out is to support candidates that represent the Latino community and give them more stake in the process”.