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Democrats are hoping to persuade Latino voters to get out and vote for their candidates in droves in the midterms. A Latino organization says they’ll have the best chance of doing that by presenting solutions to the economy, housing, and abuses by ICE.
Polling by Voto Latino shared first with Semafor shows 40% of Latinos backing Democrats on the generic ballot, while just 21% support Republicans.
The group argues that bringing more Latinos into the Democratic fold will require running on solutions to pocketbook issues: Latino voters rank the cost of necessities as their top frustration, and view food and housing costs as most unreasonable.
“This is where Democrats really have an opportunity to really bring back Latinos back to their corner,” said Beatriz Lopez, Voto Latino’s executive director. “I think this is a pure opportunity, and it’s not to be wasted because if they waste it right now, it’s going to be even harder in ’28.”
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Voters are looking for “some long-term solutions, some short-term solutions,” said Lopez. Among those surveyed, Latinos who didn’t vote in 2024 were more likely than those who had voted to have economic frustrations, like struggling to earn enough money or find a good job.
“What we see in this poll is the people that are struggling the most are the ones who want the most,” said Voto Latino deputy director Ameer Patel.
Republicans have been hoping that the shift of Latino voters towards Trump and Republicans in 2024 would be part of a more durable trend, and drew new congressional districts in Florida and Texas to favor Republicans that relied in part on the Latino voting trends. Democrats, on the other hand, have hoped Latino voters would return to the left, motivated by economic concerns and the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement.
Immigration still remains a major issue for Latino voters. Asked about immigration solutions for Congress to tackle, Latino voters polled picked investigating ICE as a top priority, alongside immigration changes like a pathway to citizenship and ending the immigration detention of children and families.