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New Clinton Spanish Posters: Hillary Or Evita?

Madonna in the 1996 movie <em>Evita.</em>
Getty Images
Madonna in the 1996 movie Evita.

New posters featuring Hillary Clinton seem to be trying to make her "high flying, adored" with voters.

The new images appeared at a campaign stop in San Antonio, Texas, where Clinton wooed Latino voters on Thursday. But according to NPR's Tamara Keith, the campaign says it isn't responsible for the posters. Banners were plastered all over the venue along with smaller signs and T-shirts.

A new Clinton campaign poster unveiled at an event in San Antonio says "I'm with you" in Spanish.
Tamara Keith / NPR
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NPR
A new Clinton campaign poster unveiled at an event in San Antonio says "I'm with you" in Spanish.

The image of the black-clad Clinton profile may seem familiar to those who love either Argentinian history or musical theater — specifically Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita.

The 1978 musical told the story of Eva Peron, the actress turned first lady of Argentina. Seen as ruthless and cunning, she and her husband drew support from the descamisados, or the poor and the working class, to climb to power. She eyed her own political success as well, campaigning for vice president before she died from cancer at age 33. The musical was briefly revived on Broadway in 2012.

The story of "Evita," as her admirers called her, found broader success in 1996 when the musical was adapted for the big screen, starring Madonna in the title role.

Madonna on a press tour before filming of <em>Evita</em> began in 1996.
Daniel Muzio / AP
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AP
Madonna on a press tour before filming of Evita began in 1996.

The new posters — which say "I'm with you" — seem to evoke images from both the musical and the movie.

But even from that comparison, there could be some controversy. Peronism — the political movement and party she and her husband, Juan Peron, spurred — was seen as a socialist movement, with populist influences that championed labor.

Eva Peron, known as Evita, the second wife of Argentine President Juan Peron, was a radio and screen actress before her marriage in 1945. She became a powerful political influence and a mainstay of the Peron government.
AFP / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Eva Peron, known as Evita, the second wife of Argentine President Juan Peron, was a radio and screen actress before her marriage in 1945. She became a powerful political influence and a mainstay of the Peron government.

Another comparison could be to fashion designer Carolina Herrera, who has dressed many first ladies.

Fashion designer Carolina Herrera is pictured during New York fashion week.
/ Getty Images
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Getty Images
Fashion designer Carolina Herrera is pictured during New York fashion week.

One woman at the campaign event had a much different idea to honor Clinton:

The poster also seems to evoke the iconic image of President Obama created by artist Shepard Fairey during the 2008 campaign.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

The iconic collage from Obama's 2008 campaign, created by Shepard Fairey, was later installed in the National Portrait Gallery.
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
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AP
The iconic collage from Obama's 2008 campaign, created by Shepard Fairey, was later installed in the National Portrait Gallery.

Jessica Taylor is a political reporter with NPR based in Washington, DC, covering elections and breaking news out of the White House and Congress. Her reporting can be heard and seen on a variety of NPR platforms, from on air to online. For more than a decade, she has reported on and analyzed House and Senate elections and is a contributing author to the 2020 edition of The Almanac of American Politics and is a senior contributor to The Cook Political Report.