Latinos Say Democrats Care More About Them, Work Harder to Earn Their Vote Than Republicans: New Poll

By BERT HOOVER First Posted: Sep 30, 2022 08:49 AM EDT

A new Pew Research Center survey showed that most Latino adults think the Democratic Party cares more about them and works hard to get their support. Results released Thursday also showed that fewer Latinos say the same about the Republican Party.

The study revealed that 36% of 3,029 Latinos surveyed from August 1 to August 14 said there is a "fair" amount of difference between what the Democratic and Republican parties stand for, while 16% said there is "hardly" any difference at all between the parties.

The survey found that most Latino Americans had good things to say about the Democratic Party. A total of 71% of Latinos say the Democratic Party works very hard to get their support, 63% say the Democratic Party "really cares about Latinos," and 60% say the Democratic Party represents their best interests.

By contrast, shares of Latinos say the same of the Republican Party on each statement, but a slightly higher percentage (45%) says the GOP "works hard to earn the votes of Latinos."

While most Latinos have positive views of the Democratic Party, not all do. For instance, 34% of respondents agree that the statements "the Democratic Party really cares about Latinos" and "the Democratic Party represents the interests of people like you" do not accurately describe their views.

Survey on Latinos Comes Out Six Weeks Before Midterm Election

The survey comes just six weeks before the November 8 midterm elections and nearly two years after former President Donald Trump won more Latino votes than he did in 2016.

Republicans wanted to get more Hispanic votes than in 2020, while Democrats wanted to keep their congressional majorities by stopping the GOP from getting even less of the Latino vote, NBC News reported.

According to Pew's research, approximately two out of every three Latino registered voters identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party. But it was clear that Latinos' future party affiliation was still in the air. About 1 in 10 of these voters said they were members of one party, but their political beliefs were more like those of the other party.

Many Latino voters said the Republican Party's economic and law enforcement policies and stances on Cuba, Venezuela, and immigration made them want to vote for Donald Trump.

Latinos Are the Second-Largest Group of Adult Voters in the Country

The survey seems to conflict with Republicans' claims that Hispanic voters are abandoning the Democratic Party and going red. Latinos are the country's second-largest group of eligible voters. This year, almost 35 million Latinos will be eligible to vote, accounting for 14% of the eligible voters in the U.S.

Among Latino registered voters this year, 77% say they are dissatisfied with how things are going in the country, and 54% disapprove of how Joe Biden handles his job as president.

Meanwhile, only 30% have given "a lot of thought" to this year's congressional elections. Overall, 80% of Latino registered voters said the economy is essential to their voting decisions in the congressional race.

Washington Examiner reported that three Latina candidates for South Texas congressional seats that have all been held by Democrats for more than a century expressed confidence in their ability to persuade moderate, socially conservative Democrats to support them in the upcoming election.

The Republican Party is sure that Rep. Mayra Flores, Monica De La Cruz, and Cassy Garcia will be their winning ticket on election night. The three were reportedly not afraid to be open about their views on abortion, border security, and nationalism.

They call themselves the "Triple Threat." They are reportedly the Republican Party's answer to the "Squad" of 2018 Democrats in the House of Representatives.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: How Democrats and Republicans Are Courting Hispanic and Latino Voters Ahead of Midterms - From PBS NewsHour