Twenty years ago, a neologism appeared in academic literature to designate the American population that traces its origins to Latin America: “Latinx.” It was intended to serve as a non-sexist, non-binary alternative to the word “Latino,” which erased women and non-binary people according to its inventor. It would later gain traction not only among academics but also among activists, celebrities, and politicians associated with the progressive movement. Some media were even going to adopt it. But he was never going to find favor in the eyes of Latinos or Hispanics, at least those who knew of his existence.
Last September, the Pew Research Center published a survey illustrating this paradox. Nearly half of Latinos (47%) said they had heard the word “Latinx” to refer to Latinos or Hispanics. However, of these, only 4% used it themselves and 75% said that it should not be used to identify anyone.
It must be said that Democratic politicians understood this message well before the publication of this poll. Latino civil rights groups themselves began dropping the term in 2021. But there is powerful symbolism in the fact that several of them have for years used a term for Latinos that the the vast majority of them did not adopt.
Clearly, Democrats and progressives are no longer on the same page as many Latinos. According to exit polls taken Tuesday, Kamala Harris received 52% of their votes in the 2024 presidential election, compared to 61% for Joe Biden in 2020, 66% for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and more 70% for Barack Obama in 2012.
And Donald Trump received 55% of the votes cast by Latino men. No other Republican Party presidential candidate will have won more Latino votes than him, at 46%, according to exit polls, which are not the final word on how each demographic group votes (further studies will follow).
Of course, such results are not just a result of the use of one word rather than another to designate Latinos. The latter also expressed their dissatisfaction with their economic situation through their votes in favor of Donald Trump. But they also expressed their rejection of a party which no longer seems to know how to address them. This is particularly the case on the issue of illegal immigration, where Democrats have long given the impression of wanting to accommodate the sensitivities of interest groups rather than recognizing that Latinos were no less troubled than others. Americans by the crisis at the southern border.
The graphic above, produced by the ProPublica website, should scare Democrats. It illustrates the evolution of the vote in 18 predominantly Latino counties located 30 km or less from the border between Texas and Mexico. And he represents another powerful symbol of the disconnect between Democrats and a growing number of Latinos.
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