As the November elections near, reports have come out that many Hispanic voters have been moving to the Republican Party. | Stock Photo
As the November elections near, reports have come out that many Hispanic voters have been moving to the Republican Party. | Stock Photo
As the November elections near, reports have come out that many Hispanic voters have been moving to the Republican Party.
According to a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Sept. 14, working-class Latinos switched to the Republican Party by 11 points. The report said that many Latino voters have expressed frustration with promises that have not been filled by Democratic leadership. Many support strict border security laws due to the influx of illegal drugs and human trafficking. Carlos Odio of Equis Research, a Democratic-aligned firm, said the closing of businesses during the pandemic may have angered Democratic voters. He said it is too early to say there is a shift, but Democrats should "worry that Latino voters find it more socially acceptable to consider Republican Candidates." In the report, Mike Madrid, political consultant on Hispanic voting, agreed felt that there is a shift going from blue to red, and compared it to the 1980s when there was a shift due to economic concerns.
“Once a solidly Democratic bloc, Latino voters are emerging as a swing group available to both parties, with its voting preferences splitting along economic and class lines,” the op-ed stated.
The GOP took to Twitter to make similar claims, as well.
“It is no surprise Hispanics are moving to the Republican Party. Democrats have proven time and time again to be out of touch & their values do not align with the Latino community,” GOP tweeted, and also linked an article by Florida’s Voice.
The Florida's Voice story features a “hardcore” Democrat voter and Cuban immigrant Caroline Castillo who recently switched to Republican. He said it was a “betrayal to Latinos” when the Biden Administration’s Juan Gonzalez spoke with socialist President Maduro of Cuba in a request for oil.
She also said, “Democrats are doing away with basic social and economic freedoms that we should have as Americans.” Castillo added that Hispanics are mostly conservative, traditional and love God and family. She said she is pro-women and pro-LGBTQ rights but due to the party being “unrecognizable” and “radicalized,” her values do not align.
The Washington Examiner published an editorial saying that Hispanics in Texas have been going Republican because of the border policies. A poll by Texas Tribune showed that 57% of Teas Hispanics and 60% of South Texas Hispanics want more border security. The editorial piece added that Texas Hispanics are “bothered by the direction” of the Democratic Party.
An example of Hispanics moving towards Republicans was the election of Marya Flores, a Trump-endorsed Republican, who was elected to Congress as the first Mexican-born woman in a special election in June. She represents Texas’ 34th district which is a historically Democrat district. The district voted blue in 2012, 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. According to Ballotpedia, the district is 84.5% Hispanic. Rep. Flores is running again in the midterms.
In a NALEO Education Fund press release earlier this year, it was estimated that 11.6 million Latinos will vote in the next elections. The report said that 9.8% of voters will be Latino, which is an increase of 34.1%.
A UnidosUS poll in August conducted by BSP Research found that 56% of Hispanic voters in Pennsylvania believe the country is on the wrong track. Top priorities are inflation, economy and crime. Historically Hispanic voters in Pennsylvania have voted Democrat but UnidosUS said both parties are “underwater” in comparison to previous levels of support.
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