A sweeping new survey of three,000 registered Latino voters throughout the nation finds that financial nervousness continues to dominate the political temper heading into the 2026 midterm elections, with value of dwelling, jobs, and housing far outpacing different points as prime priorities for the nation’s second-largest voting bloc.
The brand new survey finds that whereas immigration continues to be essential to this more and more swing citizens, it isn’t the highest subject. It ranks fifth, behind affordability, jobs and different kitchen desk points.
In accordance with the Unidos Bipartisan Ballot of Hispanic Voters: The Street to 2026, first obtained by CBS Information, 53% of Latino voters cite the price of dwelling and inflation as their main concern, adopted by jobs and the economic system (36%), housing (32%), well being care (30%) and immigration reform (20%). Multiple-third say the economic system is worse than it was a yr in the past, whereas simply 14% imagine it has improved.
Pocketbook issues dominate almost each measure of voter sentiment. Practically two-thirds (65%) of Latino voters surveyed say President Trump and congressional Republicans are usually not doing sufficient to enhance the economic system — a 5-point improve since April — and half of respondents imagine Mr. Trump’s financial insurance policies will make them personally worse off subsequent yr.
The notion of declining financial stability is fueling discontent with Washington: 81% of Latino voters say Congress is failing to meet its checks-and-balances position, and 62% disapprove of how the Republican Celebration is main Congress. An identical share, 61%, blame Republicans for the latest authorities shutdown, in comparison with simply 22% who fault Democrats.
“Hispanic voters maintain stressing the necessity to tackle low wages and the rising value of dwelling, but really feel that the administration and Republicans whom they maintain most liable for the shutdown are usually not focusing sufficient on this,” Clarissa Martinez de Castro, vp of UnidosUS, informed CBS Information.
“Making issues worse, Hispanic voters additionally really feel that civil rights and freedoms, and their private security or that of their family members are in danger. Maybe that’s the reason an awesome 81% are involved that Congress is giving the president an excessive amount of authority and energy.”
Within the new ballot by the nation’s largest Latino advocacy group, 64% of Latinos disapprove of Mr. Trump’s job efficiency, with 13% of his 2024 supporters saying they’d not vote for him once more and one other 9% unsure. The problems most shaping opinions of the president embody value of dwelling and inflation, immigration arrests and deportations, jobs, and cuts to Medicaid and meals help applications.
For the president, the outcomes mark a pointy distinction along with his 2024 efficiency amongst Hispanic voters — a constituency that helped gasoline his return to the White Home. Now, financial pessimism and disapproval of congressional Republicans might reshape Latino turnout and partisan alignment heading into the subsequent midterm cycle.
If the midterms had been held at the moment, 52% of Latinos surveyed say they’d vote for the Democratic Home candidate, in comparison with 28% for the Republican — underscoring a widening partisan hole since 2024, when Mr. Trump carried 48% of Latino voters general and 54% of Latino males in his profitable presidential bid, in line with Pew Analysis.
By and enormous, Latino voters stand by their 2024 presidential vote selections, nevertheless, together with those that supported the president a yr in the past. Requested in the event that they needed to do it over once more, would they nonetheless vote for President Trump or former Vice President Harris, 78% of Trump supporters mentioned they’d and 93% of Harris supporters additionally responded within the affirmative.
“The fascinating half is that the Democrats have not actually misplaced Latino voters, however they don’t seem to be profitable them again,” Daniel Garza from the right-leaning LIBRE initiative mentioned in an interview with CBS in response to the ballot. “We’re at this inflection level. They usually’re ready for any individual to win them over with one thing optimistic, productive that is going to maneuver us ahead. And proper now, I do not assume that Trump is assembly expectations, however Democrats have carried out nothing. They’re worse off, really.” Garza described them as “obstructionists” within the ongoing authorities shutdown.
Garza predicts that if the economic system improves by the spring underneath the Trump administration’s financial insurance policies, “Democrats might lose (Latino voters) perpetually.”
In accordance with the ballot, Latino voters are leaning in the direction of Democrats on a spread of points, with 55% saying the Democratic Celebration cares “a fantastic deal” in regards to the Latino group, in comparison with simply 29% who say the identical of Republicans. One in three view the GOP as “hostile” to Latinos.
When requested which social gathering they belief most on key coverage areas, Democrats maintain benefits on a number of key points together with well being care. Nevertheless, the GOP maintains an edge on border safety.
The bipartisan survey was carried out throughout the nation with over samples of 400 registered Latino voters in Arizona, California, Florida, Colorado, Texas and Georgia.
In California, which is holding a particular election on Tuesday to determine on a California poll measure that may permit state Democrats to redraw a number of congressional districts to make them extra favorable to their social gathering, Latino voter turnout might wield outsized affect on how this contest performs out. California has the biggest Latino-eligible citizens. Each side of the Proposition 50 debate have been interesting to the Hispanic populations. The Democratic Nationwide Committee introduced earlier this fall a bilingual organizing initiative that targets these potential voters and contains 41,000 volunteers canvassing and telephone banking historically Latino communities in California.
With regards to immigration, the survey captures deep unease about civil liberties and public security: 72% of these surveyed oppose a latest Supreme Courtroom determination permitting immigration brokers to make use of an individual’s language, look and work location as grounds for making a cease, 59% say their rights and liberties really feel much less safe than earlier than, and about half oppose deploying U.S. troops to cities for crime or immigration enforcement.
The excessive court docket froze a district court docket’s momentary restraining order that prevented federal immigration authorities from stopping individuals in southern California by relying solely on 4 elements: obvious race or ethnicity, talking Spanish or talking English with an accent, being at a particular location like a day laborer pickup web site, and an individual’s occupation. Within the survey, 41% of the respondents mentioned they worry they or somebody near them is likely to be arrested by federal immigration brokers regardless of having authorized standing.
Practically half (49%) additionally mentioned they’re “very involved” that they or somebody shut might turn out to be a sufferer of political violence, with 44% blaming the rise in such violence totally on Republican rhetoric.
The UnidosUS survey was carried out Oct. 8 by way of Oct. 22 by BSP Analysis and Shaw & Firm Analysis, the top of which, Daron R. Shaw, serves as a part of the polling workforce for Fox Information. BSP Analysis carried out polls for Democrats in 2024.
CBS Information polling all through the 2024 marketing campaign pointed to dissatisfaction with the economic system and rising costs as key drivers of voting choices. This yr, CBS Information polling additionally indicated that many citizens are nonetheless sad with the route of the nation and the economic system particularly.
In accordance with a CBS Information nationwide survey in October, most Latinos rank both the economic system/jobs (26%) or inflation (25%) as an important subject going through the nation. Two-thirds of Latinos fee the nationwide economic system negatively. And Mr. Trump’s job approval score has slid to 38% amongst Latinos, from a excessive of 49% initially of his time period.
Mr. Trump’s approval score on dealing with inflation has fallen to 32% amongst Latinos, and majorities say his insurance policies are costing the U.S. jobs and making them worse off financially. Nationwide, most Latinos now say whether or not or not they help him, they imagine that Mr. Trump shouldn’t be following by way of on the guarantees he made throughout his marketing campaign.
