Latino voters, the state’s largest racial group and about 30% of likely voters, are a key constituency that could swing the election.
Affordability remains a top priority for Latino voters, a survey by the Latino Community Foundation of 1,200 Latino registered voters in California in September shows. But they also disapproved of the president by wide margins, and felt pessimistic about their personal economic prospects in higher shares than ever, vice president of politics Christian Arana said. By a three-to-one margin they said they felt Trump had betrayed them on immigration.
“There’s a lot of people that say if you really want to talk to Latino voters, you only have to talk about the economy,” said Yes on 50 consultant Juan Rodriguez. “It’s a false choice. You can’t just talk about kitchen-table issues when they’re burning down your house.”
The campaign has spent more than $10 million specifically on Latino outreach, Rodriguez said, including broadcast, digital, print and radio ads in Spanish and English, and phone banking operations with Latino community groups.
Still, Arana called Latinos “the most undecided voter.” Latino approval for Prop. 50 is just under 50% in the Inland Empire and Central Valley, according to the group’s survey, which has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
Arana is most concerned that fears of immigration or other federal agents showing up to polling places could depress turnout, particularly as immigration raids in California and elsewhere have exposed U.S. citizens. The survey showed two-thirds of Latino voters statewide are concerned about immigration enforcement this election.
Democratic organizers emphasized in a recent Zoom call for volunteers that they were pushing for early voting by mail instead.
(This article was written and published by the nonprofit CalMatters)
