Why Democrats’ climate goals may test their Latino appeal

By WILL WEISSERT
Associated Press

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Congressional Democrats are going bigger than ever on the environment, with a spending package they’re trying to muscle through. President Joe Biden has traveled the country sounding the alarm, blaming a warming planet for devastation from wildfire-ravaged California to hurricane-battered New York and warning of a “code red for humanity.” But that focus could create political liabilities in energy rich areas such as heavily Latino South Texas. That’s where many voters already turned against Democrats during last year’s presidential election and where winning them back could prove critical to the party’s hopes of retaining control of Congress during next year’s midterms.