The Republican candidate is increasingly making inroads with this traditionally Democrat-leaning population
NEW YORK CITY – Sailing around Miami high-rises, the Latino group Los 3 de la Habana went viral in 2020 for a campy song in Spanish that proclaimed “Ay, ay, ay/ Oh My God/ I’m going to vote forhas been struggling with Hispanic people as a voting bloc, with places like Florida’s Miami-Dade County voting 22 per cent more Republican than in 2016 and areas like Starr County, in Southern Texas, voting 55 per cent more Republican.
Luis Figueroa, second vice-chair of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, says Republicans’ growing popularity among the Hispanic population is a result of unfavourable economic conditions spurred by Mr Biden’s policies. “There are many people concerned about inflation and high prices,” he said in Spanish.
Donald Trump supporters protest outside the Clark County Election Department in Las Vegas in November 2020 Explaining the impact of Mr Biden’s economic policies on the Latino population could help the Democrats retain these voters in November. “One big challenge that the current administration will face this year is how to communicate the policies that the government has been able to enact that have delivered measurable benefits to Latinos,” said Eduardo García, of California-based nonprofit the Latino Community Foundation.
Immigration seems to be the Democrats’ other Achilles’ heel. In a January CBS poll, 63 per cent of respondents said Mr Biden should be tougher on immigrants crossing the US-Mexico border, and 75 per cent defined the situation there as a “crisis” or “very serious”.