Spanish-language radio in Pennsylvania fills with Latino voters' cost-of-living fury

On a Spanish-language morning show in Allentown, callers keep circling the same problems: fuel, groceries, rent and childcare. Host Victor Martinez says that frustration is shaping how Latino listeners talk about next month's midterms in one of Pennsylvania's closest House races.

A station in a swing district

Martinez runs La Mega 101.7 and has hosted talk for nearly a decade in the Lehigh Valley. Latinos have grown from about a fifth of the local population to nearly a quarter over that stretch. His studio sits in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District where freshman Republican Ryan Mackenzie faces Democrat Bob Brooks, a retired firefighter and union official.

Both campaigns are chasing Latino outreach. Brooks brands his effort "Bombero Bob" and visits Mexican restaurants and Dominican barbershops. Mackenzie opened a downtown Allentown office with Spanish-speaking staff and promotes Latino endorsements.

Pocketbook anger on the air

Martinez added an hour of politics years ago and still fields a flood of calls about prices. He tells listeners who say they may skip voting that sitting out is not the answer. "It's the economy, stupid. That's what it is," he said. "Things have gotten so bad."

Alberto Pena and his wife have run a Dominican restaurant in Allentown for nearly two decades. He said they are still "living day by day" and that he is leaning toward Brooks this year. "This is not what we expected," he said. "The economy is completely on the ground."

Why the show matters

Republicans buy ads on the station and Lehigh County GOP leaders say they want to keep Latino support with honest talk about costs. Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, a Democrat, said the mood on the street matches 2024 when voters dismissed rosy economic claims because childcare and grocery bills kept rising. Claudia Parrales-DeLeon, a regular listener, said the show helps people stay informed even when fear and fatigue run high.