Latinos say they're used as political pawns by politicians
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An overwhelming majority of Latino voters in a recent survey said they feel used as pawns by politicians who don't actually care about them.
Why it matters: Latino voters are a key and rapidly growing part of the electorate, yet both parties have faced criticism for poor engagement efforts and for side-stepping issues that Hispanics say matter to them, including inflation and personal economics.
Zoom in: 80% of the Latino respondents said they feel used by politicians, according to an Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll released Tuesday.
- The survey was conducted online July 10-12 and reflects the responses of 587 adults who identified as Latino, 502 as Latino voters.
What they're saying: "The era of pandering to Latinos is over. We have a much more sophisticated Hispanic electorate, and they want to hear about ideas," conservative political analyst Alfonso Aguilar said during an Axios event on Latino voters on Tuesday.
- Aguilar says Latinos don't want the old pandering "from both parties — of 'Viva Bush' and 'here are the mariachis.'"
Harris Poll CEO John Gerzema says the survey shows Latino voters know they have immense political power and that "not only have they arrived, they want to be reckoned with and they want to be heard and understood."
The big picture: Democrats — specifically President Kennedy, who made the first concerted effort at courting Latino voters — have a longer history of engaging with Latinos than Republicans.
- This election cycle, the Democratic Party has invested millions in ads and other outreach programs aimed at Latinos and touting the economic advancements and fight for abortion rights under the Biden administration.
- But the GOP has been steadily making gains with Hispanics over the past several years, in part with consistent messaging on the economy and border security.
- Aguilar says that Latinos' shift to the right is not necessarily because the GOP has strong engagement with Hispanic communities, but because "we're winning the battle of ideas with Hispanics."
What we're watching: Latino voters are expected to play a key role in swing states like Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia — but voter turnout has not always been consistent.
- Latino turnout in 2020 hovered around 54% — the lowest of all racial and ethnic groups.
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