He Latino vote is one of the great trophies in the US presidential elections. On the other hand, it is a vote that has different profiles and cannot be understood as a whole: it must be differentiated by countries of origin such as Mexicans, which have great weight in Snowfall, Texas, ArizonaCalifornia, Cubans in Florida or Puerto Ricans in New York. These days, former President of the United States Donald Trump, Republican candidate, and Vice President Kamala Harris are campaigning among the Latino vote, which is one of the keys to these elections. According to the latest US population census in December 2023, the Latino population is 63.7 millionwhich represents 19.1% of the total US population. Of them, 34.5 million Latinos have the right to vote, which represents 14.3% of the entire US electorate and exceeds the number of African-American voterswho make up 13.6% of the electorate. According to the Pew Research Center, it is estimated that approximately 36 million will have the right to vote in 2024.
Harris has reduced the advantage in the Latino vote in the US, which is with the smallest margin in the last 12 years, according to the survey conducted by NBC and Telemnudo. ¿Who have Latinos actually voted for? What issues are most important to this type of electorate? Below we dismantle three myths about the Latino vote.
Myth: Latinos always vote Democrat. Fact: Latinos don’t always vote Democratic. It depends on the state and your country of origin. For example, Cuban American voters in Florida vote Republican. Mexican American voters in South Texas vote Republican.
Myth: Latinos do not vote for Trump. Reality: Latinos do vote for Trump. In 2020, for example, Trump increased the Republican Party’s lead among the Latino vote, although he lost the presidential election against Joe Biden. In these elections, Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, registers a record low of support among Latino voters.
Myth: Latinos are against Trump’s tough immigration policy. Reality: Latinos agree with Trump’s proposals against illegal immigration. In 2020, Trump was highly supported by Latinos in South Texas, who are concerned about the insecurity on the border brought about by drug trafficking and illegal immigration, according to studies carried out by ProPublica.
Why do Latinos vote for Trump?
Donald Trump has managed to increase in the latest polls support among Latino voters. Trump’s message that resonates among Latinos is his proposals to reduce inflation, improve the economyfight illegal immigration and tackle crime, concerns that coincide with those of the rest of the middle class voters in the United States.
Latinos agree with Trump’s proposals in favor of fracking and investment in infrastructure, because it provides jobs, two sectors that are mostly occupied by Latinos, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.
This in turn makes the Republicans gain support among the electorate of the urban areas where Latinos live, places that Democrats have always dominated in the past.
