Source: Politics<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump made major gains among Latino voters in 2024. Now, those same voters might cost Republicans control of Congress.<\/p>\n
Fifty-nine percent of Latino registered voters prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress, compared with 35% who favor Republican control, according to a new NBC News\/Telemundo poll<\/a> released Sunday. That 24-point gap for Democrats is twice the party\u2019s lead compared to the September 2024 version of the poll.<\/p>\n A separate CBS News\/YouGov poll<\/a> released Sunday also found Democrats ahead among Hispanic likely voters, with 60% backing a Democratic House candidate and 39% supporting a Republican.<\/p>\n The findings threaten gains the GOP made in 2024, when Trump narrowed Democrats\u2019 long-standing advantage among Latino voters. A POLITICO analysis<\/a> of that year\u2019s election results found that Trump improved his vote share by an average of more than 6 percentage points in majority-Hispanic counties, compared with 2020.<\/p>\n With the midterms approaching, Republicans have made those gains central to their push to maintain control of the House. When Texas Republicans revealed their redistricting proposal last year<\/a>, four of the five potential GOP pickup opportunities were in majority-Hispanic districts.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Trump\u2019s overall approval rating among Latino registered voters stands at just 27% in the NBC\/Telemundo poll, while 69% disapprove. On the economy specifically, 74% of Latino voters disapprove of Trump\u2019s handling, while 78% disapprove of how he\u2019s dealt with cost-of-living concerns.<\/p>\n Nearly two-thirds, 65%, say Trump\u2019s policies have hurt economic conditions. Inflation and cost of living rank as the most important issues facing the country for 33% of respondents, followed by government corruption at 22%. Another 10% named jobs and the economy.<\/p>\n Economic frustration helped drive Latino voters toward Trump in 2024, with Democrats across the country suggesting in the aftermath of his victory<\/a> that he was better able to connect with the voting bloc on financial issues.<\/p>\n But now, Latino voters seem to favor Democrats over Republicans on the economy, 48% to 27%, and the cost of living, 45% compared to 26%.<\/p>\n The war with Iran, now in its seventh month, is also weighing on voters\u2019 perceptions of energy costs. In September, the average price of diesel hit a record $6.53, according to AAA<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the CBS survey, 91% of Hispanic registered voters attributed rising U.S. oil and gas prices to the conflict.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown is also putting vulnerable Republicans on the defensive<\/a>. Rep. Mar\u00eda Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) released an ad in English and Spanish criticizing the administration for going \u201ctoo far\u201d on immigration and saying Hispanics who backed Trump in 2024 feel \u201cbetrayed.\u201d<\/p>\n In the days immediately following her ad, Trump told reporters that he still supported Salazar. \u201cI\u2019m very strong on the borders \u2014 and she isn\u2019t,\u201d Trump said. But the president later reposted a flurry of social media<\/a> messages criticizing Salazar on Truth Social, including one calling for the Florida Republican\u2019s replacement ahead of the midterms.<\/p>\n In the NBC\/Telemundo poll, 67% of Latino voters say Trump\u2019s immigration enforcement has gone too far, compared with 22% who say he has taken the right approach.<\/p>\n The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n Dissatisfaction with Trump and Republicans has not translated into broadly positive views of Democrats. According to the NBC poll, Latino voters remain nearly evenly divided on the Democratic Party, with 41% viewing it positively and 42% negatively. Negative views of the GOP, meanwhile, have climbed to 62%, up from 46% in September 2024.<\/p>\n The NBC\/Telemundo survey of 800 Latino registered voters was conducted Sept. 21-28 and has a margin of error of \u00b13.46%. The CBS\/YouGov survey of 2,166 adults was conducted Sept. 30-Oct. 2, with a margin of error of \u00b12.5 points.<\/p>\n