The push for the Puerto Rican vote became the focal point of both campaigns over the weekend, and the voting bloc’s potential impact was highlighted after offensive jokes at a Trump rally in New York.

During this rally at Madison Square Garden, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made an offensive joke about American territory. These comments sparked outrage and led several prominent Puerto Ricans to support Vice President Harris.

Harris herself, while appealing to Puerto Rican communities in Philadelphia on Saturday, condemned the racist comments.

Latin American celebrities including Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin all followed with Harris’ support. Together, the stars reach hundreds of millions of followers on social media.

RELATED STORY | Bad Bunny supports Harris after comedian’s racist jokes at Trump event

According to the Pew Research Center, 36 million Latinos are eligible to vote in this presidential election, and many of them are Puerto Rican.

Residents of Puerto Rico who live on the island are not eligible to vote, but because they are U.S. citizens, all Puerto Ricans who have moved permanently to the United States are eligible. In places like the battleground state of Pennsylvania, Puerto Ricans make up the largest Hispanic group in the state, making up about 8 percent of the population.

Between 2020 and 2021, the Puerto Rican population living in the United States increased by approximately 71%, to 5.8 million people.