Thursday, August 16, 2018

Is Opposition to Trump Enough for the Latino Vote?

According to exit polls, Donald Trump received 26 percent of the Latino vote in the 2016 presidential election. For Democrats to achieve their goal of winning control of Congress, Latino turnout and support is essential. But some recent polls suggest their level of passion for the upcoming contests and their support for the Democratic ticket is lagging.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC July poll reported 39 percent approval for Trump. Possibly an anomaly, but triggering concern that the strong economy and lack of a great message, besides just anti-Trump, could shave points off Democrats’ share of the vote or turnout.

An August national survey by SurveyMonkey highlights the problem. Trump had his usual 44 percent support overall, but 29 percent of Latinos gave him a positive rating. Twenty-two percent of them rated immigration the most important issue, the highest percentage of any ethnic group, and surprisingly, 28 percent approved of his “handling the nation’s immigration policy.”

Along with satisfaction with the economy, analysts also cited that a percentage of the Latino community has a restrictionist view of immigration. Many are in the demographics of Trump’s base. They lack four-year college degrees, work in blue collar jobs and live in more rural areas. Trump also benefits from a comfort level among some Hispanic voters, especially men, with a strong leader, which is one of his main attributes frequently cited by admirers.

At least in Colorado, the latest PPP poll (July 2018) indicated weak Latino approval of President Trump (15% Latino vs. 50% White) and above average, but not spectacular support for Jared Polis, the Democratic nominee for governor (54% Latino vs. 46% overall). A quarter is undecided (26%), and compared to Democrats in the poll, support for Polis at this point is modest (80% Democratic support for Polis).

Read:
CNN Politics: Trump may not be enough to swing Latino turnout Democrats’ way

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