Despite being much more disapproving of President Donald Trump since he took office, especially due to the handling of the economy, few Latinos are unlikely to withdraw their support for the Republican party, according to a new poll.
The Survey, conducted by the New York Times/Sienna, showed that more than two thirds of Latinos surveyed (69%) now disapprove of Trump’s work as president. Moreover, 58% disapprove of the way in which he is handling the economy. It is the issue they cared about the most in November, when the election took place, and in June too.
However, they are now paying much more attention to immigration. In November, the demographic ranked the issue sixth on a list of issues. It has jumped to second place as the Trump administration continues its crackdown, which has been largely focused on the Latino community.
However, despite the negative trend, few Latinos said they would be willing to shift to the Democratic party. Under a fifth of respondents said it’s unlikely Trump and Republicans will lose their support.
Democratic strategist Maria Cardona told CBS News that party members “need to talk about what they will do for Latinos, not just how horrendous Donald Trump and Republicans have been.”
“Democrats need to lead with ‘this is what we will do for you, here is how we will help you and your family live a better life,’ which is again the reason why we all came to this country to begin with.”
The poll is not a one-off. Another survey conducted by Global Strategy Group for Somos Votantes found Trump’s overall favorability underwater by 20 points among Latino voters. His job approval dropped from -11 in February to -23 today, while approval of his handling of the economy fell from -13 in February to -26 in September.
The erosion has been particularly visible among younger voters and men, groups that had shown more mixed views in prior polling. The survey showed that Trump’s favorability among Latino men, for instance, declined from 52% in May to 47 percent in September. Support among Latinos ages 18–29 dropped to 33 percent in September, compared to 43% in May.
Melissa Morales, president of Somos Votantes, told Politico that “what began earlier this year with independents and women has really intensified and spread to basically every demographic subset of the Latino electorate, including groups that once leaned toward him like Latino men.”
Originally published on Latin Times
