Why Hispanic Voters Say ‘Adios’ to Democratic Party
Alfonso Aguilar /
Hispanic voters are bolting from the Democrats faster than Kamala Harris can say “Latinx.”
This is one of the most significant trends in this year’s presidential campaign. The growing discontent is a result of economic frustration as well as a broader cultural clash over values, as many Hispanics reject the Biden-Harris administration’s radical positions on gender ideology and parental rights.
According to the most recent NBC/Telemundo poll, Harris leads former President Donald Trump with Hispanic voters by 14 percentage points. However, that is the smallest margin for a Democrat in over a decade.
Every other presidential Democratic candidate since 2012 had an advantage of at least 36 points and, eventually, went on to win the Hispanic vote by similarly significant margins.
The NBC poll is far from an outlier. The latest Quinnipiac University survey shows that Harris’ lead among Hispanics nationally is down to single digits. In the key battleground states of Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, Harris is only slightly ahead.
In the border state of Arizona, Trump is actually winning the Hispanic vote.
This increased support of Hispanics for Trump and Republicans is driven by several factors.
According to the Pew Research Center, the economy is the top issue for Hispanic voters. Often with larger families and lower median incomes, Hispanics have been disproportionately hurt by crippling inflation and the massive influx of illegal immigrants into their communities.
Under Trump, Hispanic unemployment hit a record low of 4% and, contrary to common assumptions, more than half of Hispanic voters support stricter border security measures.
Yet Hispanics are also disgusted by the Biden-Harris administration’s extreme cultural agenda. Two-thirds identify as Catholic or Protestant. And it turns out they aren’t thrilled about the latest “woke” school offerings: teachers chatting about sex with their kids in class and allowing adult men access to girls’ locker rooms.
An American Principles Project survey of Hispanic voters in Arizona and Nevada revealed strong opposition to these progressive positions. Over two-thirds surveyed said schools should stick to teaching the fundamentals and leave “sex and racial issues” to parents.
Hispanics are repulsed by the Left’s obsession with “transgender kids” and “transgender girls of color,” and reports that reveal 5,700 minors underwent sex-change surgeries in the United States in the last four years.
Trump is making inroads with Hispanic voters by slamming “transgender insanity” and running ads denouncing Harris’s support for taxpayer-funded sex-change treatments and surgeries.
The blitz against Harris on cultural issues has been so effective that even Democrat strategists had to “concede” to The New York Times that it is “taking a toll in some races.”
But wait, the Democrats have an ingenious trick up their sleeve!
The Harris campaign announced the launch of a coalition called “Hombres con Harris”—literally, “Men With Harris.”
The campaign apparently hopes this new group will help stem the party’s losses among Hispanic men. Just like “White Dudes for Harris” has been so helpful for her support among Caucasian males.
But in truth, it’s the Democrats’ far-left agenda, not a lack of awkwardly named affinity groups, that is repelling Hispanic voters.
Hispanics have historically voted Democrat, but they do believe in common sense and that parents know what is best for their children.
If the Republican Party wants to solidify and expand its gains with Hispanic voters, it must continue to champion commonsense policies that prioritize family values, parental rights, and economic opportunity.
Hispanic voters have had enough of being treated like a checkbox for the Democrats. They’re making their voices heard, and this time, it might just sound like “Adios!”
We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.