Though 60 to 70 percent vote for Democrats, according to the Pew Research Center, Latinos aren’t a reliably partisan voting bloc and need to be persuaded, in culturally competent ways, to vote. Republican Latinos have always existed, and the Trump campaign has dedicated significant resources to winning over more of the Hispanic community this election cycle.Įlection-year conversations tend to flatten voters into stereotypes, but there is no one kind of Latino voter: They aren’t all of Mexican or Cuban descent, nor are they all Catholic or connected by a shared immigrant experience-even though these subgroups dominate national attention. Democrats shouldn’t be surprised if Trump matches or improves on his 2016 showing among Latinos, or if their votes help him hold battleground states. (Some reject “Latino” or “Latinx” labels as well.) Many are lifelong Republicans not eager to abandon their party, and Trump’s economy-first message and opposition to abortion rights resonate with them. They don’t necessarily feel solidarity with Latinos as a whole, and many identify themselves as American first. But many pro-Trump Latinos told me they simply define their interests differently than their more progressive cousins do. Liberals may accuse these Latinos of voting against their own interests, given Trump’s mishandling of the pandemic, attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and restrictions on immigration-all issues that affect millions of Latino lives. “America, we’re really at the crossroads of either self-governance or being dependent on the government-and Hispanics know very well which decision they need to be making.” “It all boils down to understanding that you are in charge of your own kind of predicament,” Enriquez told me. Across nationality, class, immigrant experience, and age, Trump-voting Latinos have one thing in common: a different vision from other Latinos of what it means to be American-and they believe their liberal counterparts and the broader public just don’t understand that. Nearly a third of Latinos routinely vote for Republicans in American elections, and the Trump campaign’s appeals to them show an understanding of their unique worldview, one rooted in deeply held beliefs about individualism, economic opportunity, and traditional social values. When we talked recently about the state of American politics, I recognized the air of authority I had heard in clips of his eponymous web show and his public speeches rallying Latinos in Texas to vote-for Donald Trump.Įnriquez is one of millions of Latinos casting a ballot for Trump this year. He visits his family across the border at least once a year for service trips with his grandparents’ church. The 25-year-old Latino from Lubbock, Texas, was the first in his family to be born in the United States, after his grandparents immigrated from Mexico in the 1980s and brought his then-2-year-old mother with them. ET on November 3, 2020.Ībraham Enriquez speaks with the clarity of a levelheaded TV anchor.
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