The Latino vote is projected to be one of the most powerful demographics come November, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing for Joe Biden.

Recent polls alarmingly suggest Trump is outperforming where he was four years ago among Hispanic voters, a key part in the upcoming election because of its largely young population, and as the largest non-white ethnic group eligible to vote this year.

Latinos for Trump has always had an oxymoronic quality to it, but they exist and their vote is influential.

In the final prediction polls leading up to the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton outperformed Trump 61% to 23%, among Hispanic voters, compared to Biden’s of  58% to 33%. Clinton ended up winning 66% of Latino voters on Election day.

However, while it seems Hispanic and Latino voters are both accounted for in the above poll, Hispanic and Latino voters aren’t one homogenous group, and the groups contain multitudes of ethnic categories within themselves. 

For instance, by just separating Hispanic and Latinos, differences in voter tendencies are revealed in regards to Trump, with 59% pulling for Biden.

Another demographic to look out for are the Latina voters, who are expected to play a decisive role in the upcoming elections. Not only are more women eligible to cast ballots, there is a huge gender gap in voting preference, with 73% of Hispanic women backing Biden compared to 63% of men.

In any case, the Latinos for Trump, while not in the majority of Hispanic voters, are also a demographic to keep an eye on as the COVID-19 pandemic may be testing their loyalties.

Latino voters give Trump the highest approval on his handling of the economy, but this is pre-COVID-19, reported Equis Research in a study on the Latinx Vote in 2020.

Among other values, the Latinos for Trump’s value for public health and unemployment make many willing to overlook Trump’s continued anti-latino rhetoric. These cause many to separate themselves from the person, and focus on the economic advantages.

But now, as unemployment is seeing record highs and the economy is seeing its worst year since the 2008 financial crisis, all eyes are on Trump’s response to these issues, particularly right-leaning Latinos who hold the issues dear.

The pandemic is also disproportionately affecting Blacks and Latinos, an issue which The New York Times recently had to sue the CDC to gain a better insight into the disparities.

 

How is Trump tackling this issue as he vies for a second term? In places like Florida, right-leaning Latino voters are losing faith in Trump, as they second-guess who is in their best interest.

“The future of democratic governance in this country depends on whether Latino turnout is high or sky-high,” tweeted Equis labs regarding their research on the Latino vote.

Trump’s following among Latino voters is significant, and while they are projected to be one of the largest voter demographics, it won’t matter for either side if this group with notoriously low voting records doesn’t show up to the polls.