Latin Americans increasingly seduced by Trump

The latest polls show that Latin Americans, around 14% of the electorate, are gradually turning away from the Democratic Party despite Trump’s regular attacks against Latin American immigration.

The voter registration office has just opened, in the heart of the poor Latino neighborhood of Centro de Oro, north of Philadelphia. Just opposite, Will Gonzales and his Ceiba association have set up their premises from where they are encouraging residents to vote on November 5. The state of Pennsylvania in which they are located is one of these “swing states” or “key states” in which the vote will be decisive. “The Latino vote in Pennsylvania could be the one that makes the difference for one party or the other,” he confirms.

“The road to the White House runs through here, and the Latino community in particular must play a decisive role because it continues to grow” adds Will Gonzales. Every year more than a million young Latin Americans acquire the right to vote in the United States and their votes could change the electoral situation. “Twenty years ago, between 70 and 80% of the Latino vote went to Democrats, but today it’s more like 60/40,” explains Will Gonzales.

Julia Ribera also notes this erosion of the Democratic vote. She works for the Congress of United Latinos, another neighborhood association, and she clearly sees the efforts made by the Trump campaign among the many Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania:

“Donald Trump invited two very popular reggaeton singers to one of his meetings in Pennsylvania, and it really caused a lot of reaction among Puerto Ricans here, both good and bad, to see that they supported Trump.”

Julia Ribera, from the “Congress of United Latinos” association

at franceinfo

The latest opinion studies show that women in the Latino community remain very pro-Democratic, but that young men could be tempted to vote for Trump. Denise, who works in the neighborhood, finds it hard to believe: “I don’t think Trump will convince anyone in this neighborhood, or at least not many people. Or people who are not aware of what they have to lose, she said. All the people I meet here, or at least 80% of us, will all vote for Kamala.”

And that’s the whole point: if the vast majority of Latin Americans remain loyal to the Democratic candidate, it could be enough for a few tens of thousands of votes snatched by Donald Trump to give him victory, in Pennsylvania and in national level.