Republican Sen. Ted Cruz’s reelection campaign has launched a $4.4 million advertising campaign targeting Hispanic voters in Texas, with most of the money being spent on Spanish-language spots, marking the largest investment his campaign has made into such advertising.

The spending comes as Republicans court the Hispanic vote, reports Axios.

According to U.S. Census data, Latinos represent a larger share of the Texas population than non-Latino white people and 28% of Texans speak Spanish in their homes.

The Cruz campaign’s investment will include digital and broadcast advertising, along with billboards, text messages, and phone calls. The effort started this month and runs through Election Day on Nov. 5.

The Spanish-language broadcast ads will air in 20 market areas and focus on jobs, the border, and family values.

Meanwhile, bilingual texts and phone calls will hone in on the Rio Grande Valley area in South Texas.

“It has long been said that Hispanics are Republican [but] they just don’t know it yet,” Cruz campaign spokesperson Macarena Martinez said in a statement. “Sen. Cruz is committed to ensuring that every Hispanic household hears his message loud and clear.”

Cruz’s Democrat opponent in the race, Rep. Colin Allred, started Spanish-language ads in May, his campaign spokesperson said.

The number of eligible Hispanic voters has almost doubled since the year 2000 and appears to be shifting right, reports The Washington Examiner.

In 2012, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney took just 27% of the Hispanic vote, but in 2020, then-President Donald Trump took 38% of the Latino vote.

Trump is also battling this year to expand his support among Hispanic voters. His campaign has touted a recent survey showing that Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic Party’s nominee, has the support of 43% of Hispanics to 42% for Trump.

Biden, meanwhile, won the 2020 election after taking 59% of the Hispanic vote.

However, the Hispanic vote for Republicans has declined slightly in recent years in Texas.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott took 40% of the Latino vote in his 2022 race, down from 42% in 2018.

Meanwhile, 35% of Latinos supported Cruz over Beto O’Rourke in 2018, dropping from 40% of the Hispanic vote in 2012.

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