Democrats see shrinking support among Latino voters

A new poll has found that Democrats’ support among Latino voters has declined to its lowest level in the past four presidential election cycles.

Vice President Kamala Harris still leads over former President Donald Trump when it comes to Latino voters, 54% to 40%, respectively, according to an NBC News/Telemundo/CNBC poll. Some 6% said they’re unsure or wouldn’t vote.

Ms. Harris’ 14-percentage-point lead is better than the lead President Biden had when he was still on the Democratic ticket, but it is smaller than Democrats’ 29-point lead in 2020, 50-point lead in 2016 and 39-point lead in 2012.

The same results can be seen in congressional polls, as both parties duke it out for control of the House and the Senate. More than half of Latino voters, 54%, support a Democrat-controlled Congress, while 42% prefer a Republican-controlled one.

Still, the 12-point lead is a decline from Democrats’ 21-point lead in September 2022, 26-point lead in October 2020, 34-point lead in September 2016 and 45-point lead in September 2012.

Most of the decline occurs among Latino men under the age of 50 without college degrees. Hispanic women have remained unwavering in their support for Democratic candidates.

Latino voters favor Ms. Harris when it comes to protecting immigrant rights, abortion and crime, but Mr. Trump grabs the support when it comes to inflation and the cost of living, the economy and border control.

When it comes to better addressing the concerns faced by the Hispanic community, the Democratic party leads by 27 points. But the advantage the party holds declines to 11 points when the same voters are asked which party shares their values.

The poll was conducted Sept. 16-23 among 1,000 registered Latino voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.