Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden is the most popular 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful among Hispanic voters, trailed closely by Sen. Bernard Sanders, according to a new poll Wednesday.
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke places third, with former Obama Cabinet secretary Julian Castro in fourth. Sens. Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren battled for fifth place in favorability, according to the poll sponsored by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).
Meanwhile President Trump’s support among Hispanic voters has cratered, with just 17 percent in the new poll (http://www.latinodecisions.com/files/9115/5545/6075/Final_Toplines_NALEO_LD_Spring_2019.pdf) saying they will definitely vote to re-elect him in 2020.
Mr. Trump won 28 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2016, according to Pew Research. That’s better than Mitt Romney, the GOP’s nominee four years earlier, but it’s down significantly from the 40 percent or higher won by President George W. Bush in 2004.
A majority of Hispanic voters told the pollster, Latino Decisions, that they find the Republican Party outright “hostile” toward them, while nearly 30 percent said the GOP doesn’t “care too much” about them. Only a fifth said Republicans were “doing a good job.”
By contrast, 57 percent said the Democrats running for president are doing a good job.
NALEO said the poll shows there are a number of Democrats who could capture Hispanic support heading into the 2020 primaries, but said they’ll have to work for it.
“Candidates vying for the opportunity to challenge the president will need to invest in a robust Latino voter engagement effort if they want to secure the support of Latinos in the upcoming primaries and caucuses,” said Arturo Vargas, CEO of the NALEO Educational Fund.
Mr. Biden’s favorability rating stood at 59 percent while Mr. Sanders had 58 percent. Mr. O’Rourke garnered 48 percent and Mr. Castro came in with 45 percent. Working against Mr. Castro was lower name recognition compared to the three men who topped him.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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