Among Hispanic voters in Florida, inflation (23%), followed by jobs and economy (12%) dominate the issues ahead of the November 8 elections, according to a national poll published by Americano Media, considered to be the first national conservative network in Spanish in the United States.
Both topics coincide with the fundamental priorities of Hispanic voters in the country, and in a state where they are registered 14.4 millions of voters until 30 of September. Of which 5.2 million (28%) identify themselves as Republicans and 4.9 million as Democrats (28%), while 3.9 million have no party affiliation (23%).
The survey indicates that the Republican Party could benefit from a “profound realignment” of Hispanic voters, and could add undecided voters concerned about the economy.
“Our survey shows that while the 14 percent of Hispanics are still undecided, half are strongly inclined to vote for the Republican Party in the midterm elections”, assured the executive director of Americano Media, Iván García-Hidalgo. “In some close races, these undecided Hispanic voters can make their decision on the same day as the vote. We believe this indicates a possible increase in the Hispanic vote for Republican candidates.”
The Americano Media poll reveals what García-Hidalgo called “a perfect storm of frustration and pessimism among undecided Hispanics with the economic policies of President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, who are more motivated than ever to vote”.
“Our survey confirms the turn to the right of Hispanic voters”, affirms García- Gentleman. “We discovered that number could increase on Election Day.”
With the 43 percent of respondents self-identified as Democrats and the 27 percent as Republicans, Democrats lead the race at Congress 50% against 36%, with a 14 percent of undecided divided equally between the two parties and the independents . It is a notable difference with previous elections, considering that this margin of 14 points is less than 30% of 2020 and at 40% of 2018.
Biden vs. Trump
Among the Hispanic voter, mostly Democrat, the President Joe Biden is the only national politician with a positive image rating.
Pollsters noted that, “as expected,” Biden would win among Hispanics against Donald Trump in a hypothetical competition to 2020, with a voting percentage of 55% versus 37%.
In 2020, Trump -who tried to annul the election for alleged electoral fraud- got the 32% of Latino support, even though he carried out a campaign full of insults against Latinos-, while Biden benefited from promising a comprehensive immigration reform that he has fulfilled so far.
The American Media survey indicates that “surprisingly”, the advantage that Biden had over Trump among Hispanics in 2020 has been reduced by half and that Biden also leads among Hispanics in Democrats in a theoretical primary showdown, beating former first lady Michelle Obama, who finished second, with a 14% in front of 36% of the current president.
In a theoretical confrontation in the Republican presidential primaries, Trump would defeat the Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, 48/22.
Still, according to research focused on Flo Americano Media’s opinion, DeSantis would overtake his gubernatorial reelection opponent, Congressman Charlie Crist, among Hispanics 49/44.
”Although DeSantis has a favorable assessment of 52% and an unfavorable 44%, among Hispanics in Florida, Crist has 40/46, which shows that many Hispanic independents and Democrats plan to vote for DeSantis”, indicate the authors of the survey
On the other hand, in a poll conducted by the University of North Florida, De Santis leads up to 14 points on the Democratic candidate (55% against 41%).
Economy and inflation
A large majority of Hispanics (71%) believe that the country, like the economy They are going in the wrong direction. The economy is top of mind for this demographic, with inflation and jobs coming out on a 38 percent as the top priority. Among Hispanics, the economy completely overshadows the social issues the media often focuses on. In fact, by a margin of 65/30, inflation is more important than abortion to decide your vote.
The AmericanoMedia survey was conducted between to the 20 October between 1,200 Hispanic registered voters and has a 2.8 percent margin of error.
The team also sampled Hispanic registered voters in Florida on state-specific issues. It was done in English and Spanish, with 78 percent responding in English and 22 percent in Spanish.
Other Findings Among Florida Voters
- Inflation is prioritized over abortion rights by a large margin of 67/28 when compared head to head.
- In addition, more than 2/3 of Hispanic voters in Florida say that the rising cost of living is causing them financial problems, and the 41% consider that these problems are important.
- Food (22 %), followed by the living place (28 % ) and gasoline prices (12 %), are the main concerns about cost of living increases. Housing prices are a bigger concern among Hispanic voters in Florida than nationally.
The 65 % say that abortion should always or mostly be legal compared to 38 % who say that always or in its mostly illegal.