'All I can think about is hotter days.' Voter campaigns target Latinas worried about climate change
As the November election approaches, large get-out-the-vote efforts are targeting Latinos, and particularly Latina moms, with a climate focus
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A few months ago, Mary Wagner woke up to the smell of smoke from wildfires in California and northern Nevada. She readied her sons for school and stepped outside into the smokey Las Vegas air. Her 13-year-old son’s asthmatic cough worsened.
“It’s really, really bad and it’s really hard for him to breathe,” she recalled.
This summer, the city also sizzled under prolonged, record-breaking temperatures of 115 F (46.11 C) or greater. Wagner knows days will get hotter and wildfires more frequent with climate change. That's why global warming is a critical issue for her in this election.
“Seeing how climate change affects our pockets as well as our health has become a priority for myself and for people in my community,” said Wagner, who was born in Honduras, grew up in the U.S. and will be voting in her first election after becoming a citizen in 2022.
