Hispanic voters increasingly shift toward Republican party, poll shows

WASHINGTON (TND) — The midterm elections are just five weeks away and there has been a dramatic demographic shift that could hurt the Democrats' chances to hold on to their congressional majority.

With control of Congress at stake, Hispanic voters — a key part of the Democratic base — are drifting toward Republicans, according to a new poll.

Republican Rep. Mayra Flores, R-Texas, says Democrats have taken Hispanic voters for granted.

The Democrat party has abandoned the Hispanic community. They are focused on white liberals. They are not focused on the Hispanic community,” Flores said.

In a new NBC News/Telemundo poll, 54% of Hispanic voters say they prefer Democrats to have control of Congress compared to 33% who want Republicans in power but that 21-point difference is half of what it was in 2012.

Political strategists say Democrats are increasingly out of step with working-class voters of all races, including Hispanics, on key issues.

A lot of Latino voters are in limbo. Everything we see points to the role of the economy,” said Carlos Odio co-founder of polling organization EquisLabs.

The poll shows Republicans with slight advantages among Hispanic voters when it comes to the economy and the border.

Even among a set of Latinos who heavily favor a pathway to citizenship and want to see an orderly system, they have concerns about the border, especially the border and how it might be depicted in the media. not as an immigration issue but as a law and order and public safety concern,” Odio said.

But on abortion, Hispanic voters still support Democrats by a margin of 50% to 23% and 54% disapprove of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, giving Democrats hope that issue will energize voters next month.

For Democrats, the abortion issue has decidedly moved Latina, Hispanic women back into the Democratic column, especially blunting this rightward shift that was happening,” said Mike Madrid with GrassrootsLab.

But among Hispanics, abortion is much less important than inflation, the economy and the border. With a majority disapproving of President Joe Biden's handling of those issues, it's a group that may wind up helping to boost Republicans on Election Day.