Seth A. Richardson

srichardson@rgj.com

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders received the endorsement of three Spanish language publications Wednesday in his bid for the Democratic nomination.

Ahora Latino Journal, El Reportero and Tú Revista Latina announced their support for Sanders in a Wednesday news release. The endorsements come just one day after former Las Vegas Assemblywoman Lucy Flores pledged for Sanders as well.

El Reportero and Tú Revista Latina are Las Vegas publications while Ahora Latino Journal is based in Reno. Ahora publisher and editor Mario de la Rosa said he decided to support Sanders because he seems trustworthy.

“His concern has always been for all people suffering from inequality and lack of opportunities,” de la Rosa said. “That is one of the great appeals to him. He sees all people just as humans. That’s why we support his policies.”

The Latino vote is widely considered one of the most important demographics in the 2016 race. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s campaign also courted Ahora when California Secretary of State Alex Padilla visited the publication in November.

Critics have questioned Sanders’ legitimacy as a general election candidate because of an inability to court Latinos mixed with Clinton’s broad support from the community, including State Sen. Ruben Kihuen’s and consultant Andres Ramirez’s superdelegate vote and endorsements from several Latino lawmakers.

De la Rosa said once the Latino community hears Sanders’ message, they’ll begin supporting him.

“Once people start knowing and listening to Bernie Sanders, they’ll see what’s going on and they’ll see very clearly,” de la Rosa said. “He’s really trying to fight for the middle class and the low-income class and for all the people that are suffering. Not just the 10 percent or the one percent.”