The organization Voto Latino considers that the growing unrest among Hispanic voters due to the increase in the cost of living and the immigration policies promoted by the Republican Party represents the main opportunity for Democrats to regain ground among this electorate in the face of the legislative elections on November 3.

In an analysis accompanied by an experimental survey, the organization maintains that the Democratic strategy should abandon the focus on the figure of President Donald Trump and direct its criticism to the performance of the Republican Party in economic and social matters.

“Stop campaigning against Trump and campaign against the Republican Party,” summarizes the document signed by the executive director of Voto Latino, Beatriz López, arguing that holding Republicans responsible for the increase in the cost of living is more effective in attracting undecided voters.

The study, prepared by the organization founded in 2004 to promote the political participation of Latinos in the United States, combined a survey among 1,388 Hispanic voters with a six-month follow-up of conversations on TikTok, with the aim of identifying the messages with the greatest electoral impact.

The results show that economic concerns dominate the priorities of the Latino electorate. According to the analysis, 37% of the participants stated that they had postponed paying a bill due to financial difficulties and 36% stated that they stopped eating a meal due to lack of resources.

Furthermore, the experimental ad that performed best was the one that exclusively addressed the rising cost of living without directly mentioning Trump. According to Voto Latino, this message increased sympathy for the Democratic Party by 14 points and reduced support for Republicans among participants.

The economy displaces immigration

The conclusions coincide with other recent studies on the behavior of Hispanic voting.

A national UnidosUS survey, released in May, found that 67% of Latino voters disapprove of Trump's management and that the cost of living (44%) surpasses immigration (33%) as the main concern of this sector of the electorate. The study also identified inflation, wages and access to housing among the issues that most influence the political preferences of Hispanics.

The change represents a challenge for Democrats, who for years focused much of their speech to Latino voters on immigration and diversity issues, while economic concerns have gained prominence following increases in the prices of food, housing and services.

Although the economy appears as the main electoral driver, Voto Latino considers that immigration policy continues to be an important factor in mobilizing those who abstained from voting in the 2024 presidential elections.

The organization cites as an example the recent deaths of two migrants during operations of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE): the Mexican Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who died on July 7 in Houston, and the Colombian Joan Sebastián Guerrero, 26, killed this week in Biddeford, Maine.

While the authorities maintain that both tried to flee and put the agents at risk, relatives and witnesses have rejected that version and assure that the two men were on their way to work and had no criminal record.

For Voto Latino, these cases reflect an immigration policy that can encourage the participation of sectors that traditionally register low levels of voting.