Catherine Cortez Masto Ditches ‘Latinx’ Just in Time for Reelection Bid
Nevada Dem touts Latina heritage after years of peddling gender-neutral term
Democratic senator Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) / Getty Images Collin Anderson • October 12, 2022 5:00 am
Nevada Democratic senator Catherine Cortez Masto is ditching her years-long use of the gender-neutral term “Latinx” just in time for her tight reelection bid against Republican Adam Laxalt, which is expected to hinge on Hispanic voters.
Cortez Masto began peddling the “woke” term shortly after former president Donald Trump entered the White House. When Trump’s first wave of Cabinet nominees did not include a Latino, Cortez Masto in February 2017 tweeted, “I don’t believe that there isn’t one Latinx fit for any of Trump’s Cabinet positions. This is sheer ignorance.” Days later, Trump announced his plan to nominate Alexander Acosta, the son of Cuban refugees, as labor secretary.
Cortez Masto’s use of “Latinx” continued over the next two years. In September 2018, the Democrat applauded the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, for “bringing attention to all the ways the Latinx community has contributed to southern NV.” Months later, in June 2019, Cortez Masto implored Democratic presidential candidates to avoid taking “NV’s Latinx voters … for granted.” Cortez Masto has also used “Latinx” in both official and campaign press materials. “Nevada is one of the most diverse states in America with a vibrant Latinx community,” she said in one release. “You can’t tell the history of Las Vegas without hearing Latinx voices,” she wrote in another. Cortez Masto’s campaign Twitter account, by contrast, did not use the term “Latina” for roughly three years, from October 2017 to August 2020.
Now, Cortez Masto is ditching the unpopular term as she courts Hispanic voters. Many of the Democrat’s digital ads tout her status as “the first Latina ever elected to the U.S. Senate,” and Cortez Masto’s latest campaign press releases swap “Latinx” for “Latino.” The change comes as a tacit admission that Cortez Masto’s past embrace of progressive rhetoric could alienate a crucial voting block in her race against Laxalt. Just 2 percent of U.S. Hispanic voters use
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