TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – César Chávez was a hero to many farmworkers across America. Even now, 27 years after the labor leader’s death, the legacy of César Chávez is still front and center in the 2020 election.

The Biden Campaign has turned to Chávez’s granddaughter, Julie Chávez Rodriguez, for help with the Latino vote.  

Growing up in a family of organizers and activists, Chávez Rodriguez went on to serve in the Obama Administration for 8 years and is now serving as the Biden Campaign’s top Latina Senior Advisor.   

A childhood filled with protests and union meetings shaped Chávez Rodriguez’s future in public service. Her grandfather, the famous farm workers union leader, taught her things she says that help advance her mission today.  

“To be a part of something bigger than myself that could bring about improvements of lives and conditions for other people,” said Chávez Rodriguez. 

 She says she’s putting that lesson to work in mobilizing Latinos to vote for Joe Biden. She added that Latinos have paid a steep price during the pandemic and that the former vice president knows it.  

“Joe Biden’s core message and core focus [is] on the economy and rebuilding it and addressing this pandemic, which has had an outsized impact on Latino community with over 42,000 Latinos dead as a result of it. Those are really resonating with Latinos of all backgrounds,” she said. 

But Chávez Rodriguez says the campaign has found Mr. Biden’s message resonating with certain subgroups of Hispanic more than others. 

“We’re seeing a lot of support from especially younger Cuban voters in South Florida and in Miami, Puerto Rican voters throughout Orlando and the I-4 corridor and out in Pennsylvania. Of course, Mexican-American voters predominate the Southwest in places like Arizona and Nevada,” said Chávez Rodrigues.  

Those are key battleground states cited in a national survey by Latino Decisions where Hispanics ranked COVID-19 response, healthcare costs and creating jobs as their top issues.

But it’s Joe Biden’s stance on immigration, Chávez Rodriguez argues, that will also play a critical part in the campaign.  

“Pushing forward an immigration reform bill through Congress to get a permanent pathway to citizenship for so many of our undocumented individuals that many of whom are working on the frontlines of essential workers right now,” said the senior advisor.  

Polls show Joe Biden not doing as well with Florida Latinos as Hillary Clinton did in 2016. 

“What we’ve seen is that our levels of support are really keeping what President Obama had in 2012,” said Chávez Rodriguez. 

Biden has a slight lead over President Donald Trump in Florida according to a News Nation/Emerson College poll out Monday.  

8 On Your Side also spoke with the Trump Campaign on its efforts to win the Latino Voting bloc, you can watch our report here.