One of President Trump’s most vocal Republican critics is Mitt Romney (R-UT). He is the only GOP senator who voted to convict Trump for abuse of power in 2020, and is not afraid to be vocal on his multiple platforms concerning Trump’s policies.

“Unprecedented, historic corruption,” Romney tweeted, referring to Trump’s pardoning of Roger Stone.”
 

Still, Romney thinks Trump is likely to win reelection this November.

In an interview with the Huffington Post, Romney gave his three reasons why.

“There are enormous advantages to being the incumbent, number one,” the ex-presidential candidate told HuffPost on Thursday.

“Number two, I think [Trump] will take more towards the middle in his communication than he has so far. And number three, I think the voters that are most animated in opposition to the president tend not to come out to vote and that’s young people and the minorities,” Romney continued.

“There's active in the polls, but not necessarily active at getting out to the polls.”

Let’s unpack these “minorities” Romney is referring to, focusing on Latinos.
 

Heading into the November general election, Latinos constitute a pivotal voting group that could turn the tide in either direction.

Latinos will be the largest non-white group in the electorate, at 32 million.

However, there is a concern over how COVID-19 may impact voter participation. A survey by Latino Decisions recently found 73 percent of Latinos are very or somewhat concerned about being exposed to coronavirus through in-person voting methods. 

COVID-19 has not only been taking Latinx lives at an alarming rate, meaning these thousands of lives which have been taken due to disproportionate rates of exposure will not be counted. It is also projected to interfere with elections and the 2020 census in a way that will limit accurate representation. 

The racial inequality of COVID-19 has already claimed 170,000 years of life, most of which are Latinx, followed by Black Americans — a toll many cannot begin to comprehend. It’s a loss of life which will have a final role in the Census, wherein those largely Black and Latinx lost voices will not be counted.

These are not excuses, because Romney offers valid points. Younger demographics and Latinos are historically notorious for low-performing numbers at the polls.

And even if a historic rate of Latinos votes in November, it isn’t necessarily a good thing for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Recent polls 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 eligible to vote this year. 

But COVID-19 response has the capacity to test allegiances.

Research also shows there is a wide gender gap among Latinos who support Trump. In Arizona, for example, 15% more Latino men than women approved of Trump’s presidency, according to Equis Research.

“The role that Latinas play in our communities and our families, they're our matriarchs, they're the glue that holds our families and our communities together,” said Stephanie Valencia, co-founder and president of EquisLabs.

Yes, young Latinos will turn out to vote this year in record numbers, but the threats to our community’s representation are also particularly high this year.

The future of the nation depends on whether the Latino turnout is high or sky-high.

How to prove Romney wrong? 

Just go out and vote on November 3. Easier yet, mail-in a ballot. Not registered yet? Do that here: https://vote.gov/