Citing the urgent need to prevent another recession, prominent Latino leader and founder of the Latin Chamber Otto Merida today announced he will switch his support from Catherine Cortez Masto to Dr. Joe Heck in the important U.S. Senate race to replace Harry Reid.

His announcement comes after the Commerce Department reported that for the third-straight quarter, the U.S. Economy barely grew. Merida released the following statement:

“It is clear we need to change our fiscal policies in Washington, D.C. or else the country and Nevada will slip back into recession. As someone who owned and ran a small business, Dr. Heck understands what it takes to create jobs. We need a candidate who is going to support real economic growth for the Latino community in Nevada. We need to be serious about tackling spending in Washington if we want our economic comeback in Nevada to continue.

“As the founder of the Latin Chamber of Commerce, my mission has always been to support the entrepreneurial spirit within the Latino Community and encourage small businesses to expand for higher job growth. With his business knowledge and support for education, including his work to encourage Latino students to enter health care professions, Dr. Heck has demonstrated to our community he shares this vision.”

Heck spokesperson Brian Baluta thanked Merida for his important endorsement:

“On behalf of Dr. Heck, who is on military duty this week, I want to thank Otto Merida for his support of our campaign to improve economic opportunities for the Latino community and all Nevadans.

“For more than 40 years, Mr. Merida has been a powerful voice for Latinos and southern Nevada’s entire economy. Dr. Heck is proud to have him as a partner because Mr. Merida knows that together we can build a stronger Nevada.”

In the late 1970s, Merida founded the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce, where he is the president emeritus. He has served as chair of the Las Vegas Housing Authority and as a member of the Nevada Commission on Economic Development.

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