The population of Latino voters continues to rise across the U.S., making the group an increasingly influential part of the electorate.
According to a poll by The New York Times and Siena College, Hispanic voters could be favoring former President Donald J. Trump over President Joe Biden in the upcoming presidential election. According to the survey, 46% of Latino voters prefer Trump versus 40% who support Biden. The poll notes that the sample size of Latino voters is not enough to reliably assess small differences and the margin of error is 10 percentage points.
As to the issues driving Latino votes, safety is at the top of the list. And in Chicago, 46% of Latino voters identified crime as the most important issue, according to a study on the 2023 mayoral race conducted by BSP Research for the Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy at Northwestern.
“Latino voters want what every voter wants: Jobs, the economy and health care,” said Jaime Dominguez, a political science professor at Northwestern University.
Immigration is also of concern to Hispanic communities, said Samantha Gasca, the projected GOP nominee for the 19th District State Senate seat.
Gasca is set to go up against incumbent state Sen. Mike Hastings, D-Frankfort this November. With an increase of nearly 315,000 voters over the age of 18 in Illinois since 2012, Gasca said that offering political outreach to underserved younger Latino voters will be key to winning the election.
As to why Latino voters could be shifting to Trump over Biden, Gasca said that in her view Trump is not only stronger on the issues at hand, but has a “machismo” that is attractive to Hispanic voters.
“That’s how it comes across,” Gasca said. “And I think that sometimes that’s what they see, as opposed to wishy-washy. Because wishy-washy doesn’t get you anywhere, you have to stand for something.”
Dominguez said there’s still “plenty of time” to go before November.
“This idea that Latino voters are somehow flocking over to the Republican camp in droves is inaccurate,” Dominguez said. “I think it’s more about what the Democratic party and President Biden haven’t done, more than what former President Trump is saying … I think this is basically, an opportunity for both parties.”
