A recent poll conducted by Equis Research, a Democratic firm, indicates that former President Donald Trump holds a significant lead over President Joe Biden among Latino voters in five key battleground states with large Latino populations. The data, obtained by journalist Adrian Carrasquillo, reveals that Trump is leading Biden among Latinos in Nevada, Florida, and Texas and is tied with the president in Arizona.
Biden only maintains a slight lead over Trump in Pennsylvania among the five battleground states surveyed, based on the January poll findings. Trump’s lead over Biden stands at 41 percent to 34 percent across these states, with independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. garnering 17 percent support, as per the poll.
The increasing support for Kennedy, if sustained, could potentially fracture Biden’s Hispanic coalition from 2020, potentially reshaping the electoral landscape, as noted in a Politico report by Carrasquillo. This trend follows Trump and Republicans making gains in Hispanic-heavy regions like South Florida and the Rio Grande Valley in recent elections.
Trump and Biden (Credits: The Hill)
Giancarlo Sopo, who led Trump’s Hispanic advertising in 2020, suggests that Trump’s growing support among Hispanic communities is accompanied by Biden losing ground to Kennedy. Sopo attributes Biden’s struggles in connecting with Hispanic voters to several factors, including demographic differences and economic concerns exacerbated by rising inflation under the Biden administration.
Sopo criticizes Biden’s Latino outreach efforts as clumsy, pointing to instances such as the administration’s advocacy for terms like “LatinX” and Biden’s recent apology for using the term “illegal” in reference to an accused perpetrator. According to Sopo, Biden’s advisors, steeped in left-wing immigration politics, may be out of touch with the priorities of blue-collar Hispanic voters, who are not generally preoccupied with politically correct language.
Contrary to expectations, many blue-collar Hispanic voters find Trump’s bold and brash style appealing, viewing his persona as a successful billionaire as relatable. Sopo suggests that Trump shares more cultural commonalities with these voters than Democrats acknowledge, highlighting Trump’s appeal as a “bull in a China shop” and a “rambunctious billionaire” resonating with blue-collar Hispanics.
