Democrats Lose Favorability Among Latino Voters

After President Trump’s historic victory over Hillary Clinton, there was a sense of pride and empowerment among many voters. Furthermore, there was a group of voters that began to see their importance in American politics: Latinos.  The Latino community caught a glimpse of their influence during the 2016 election cycle, specifically in states like Florida and Texas. In Florida, Pew Research found that more than “Half of Cuban voters in Florida backed Donald Trump.” In Texas, the number of registered Latino voters is increasing. There is growing uncertainty among Democrats, specifically in Beto O’Rourke’s campaign, whether or not they will vote for O’Rourke.

The Misconception that Latinos Only Vote Democrat

The common misconception of Latinos only voting Democrat-led Democratic leaders no effort in earning the Latino vote. Their pompous behavior made them lose favorability among Latino voters. In Texas, Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke failed to empower the Latino community and they are just now realizing that Texas is 39% Latino and 4.8 million are eligible to vote. With 21 days left of this election cycle, Democrats appear to be in a political stalemate amongst themselves. Strategists and congressional campaigns are blaming each other for not doing enough to get Latino involvement.

Due to the Democrats losing favorability among Latinos, a Democratic strategist has stated that they are losing sleep. They are now in a race against time to see if they can get the Latino vote. However, Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela states otherwise. He believes that O’Rourke will get the Latino votes necessary to win the Election.

The Divide in the Democratic Party

This divide in the Democratic party is one of the many reasons why their favorability among Latinos has been decreasing.  Their focus is on the party and not the voter. Democratic candidates believe that they can gain the Latino vote by saying a few words in Spanish and using a “Hispanic” nickname.

It has gotten to the point where O’Rourke had to fake his ancestry and say that he is Hispanic, in hopes of getting their vote. This is rather insulting to the community he is desperately trying to get votes from. This action shows that he thinks that the Latino voter is ignorant and will follow anything that sounds Spanish. Latinos are more than just puppets, they are people with ideas and dreams to make America great.

Ted Cruz, on the other hand, understands that most of the Latino voters in Texas come from Cuba. Therefore, he recently launched ads that speak about his father’s escape from Cuba. With this, he hopes to connect with the voter. Cruz and the Republican party are working together to ensure that Latinos have a prominent voice in politics.

Ted Cruz leads in the polls by 7 points.