Story at a glance
- A new poll found 48 percent of Latino voters consider inflation and the rising cost of living the most important issue in the upcoming election.
- Women’s reproductive and abortion rights were also a primary issue among Latino voters at 28 percent, followed by gun safety and improving wages, both at 25 percent.
- Along party lines, 55 percent of Latinos polled said they viewed Democrats in Congress favorably compared to 34 percent of Republicans.
As the November midterm elections approach, a new poll shows inflation, abortion rights and gun safety are top priorities for Latino voters.
The tracking poll released this week by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund found 48 percent of Latino voters consider inflation and the rising cost of living as the most important issue in the upcoming election.
That isn’t particularly surprising, as inflation, more so than other issues, affects every voter and reached 9 percent in June, a 40-year high. The issue is a huge political liability for Democrats, with an ABC News-Ipsos poll last month showing just 29 percent of adults approved of the president’s handling of inflation.
Women’s reproductive and abortion rights were also a primary issue among Latino voters at 28 percent, followed by gun safety and improving wages, both at 25 percent.
The Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, eliminating the nearly 50-year constitutional right to abortion and handing states the authority to limit or ban the procedure, appears to have dramtically shifted the priorities of Latino voters. The NALEO Educational Fund poll found just 4 percent of voters in the 2018 midterm cycle ranked abortion as their most important issue. This year, 4 percent of Latinos say they support limiting or banning abortion.
Gun safety and addressing mass shootings has also become more prominent, increasing from 6 percent in 2018 to 25 percent in 2022. Gun violence has become a focus for many Americans following the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, earlier this year that left 19 students and two teachers dead, many of whom were Latino.
“Latino voters are extremely engaged ahead of this year’s midterm elections and are poised to play a decisive role in the fight for control of Congress,” Arturo Vargas, CEO of NALEO Educational Fund, said in a statement.
“While Latino voters continue to prioritize economic and quality of life issues, as they have in the past, the political fights over women’s reproductive and abortion rights and gun safety are no also top of mind for our community,” Vargas added.
Along party lines, 55 percent said they viewed Democrats in Congress favorably compared to 34 percent of Republicans. When it comes to President Biden, 58 percent of Latinos gave the president a favorable rating compared to 38 percent for former President Trump.
The poll also found that 51 percent of Latinos polled had not been contacted by either political party, campaign or other organization about registering to vote, and of those contacted, 57 percent were contacted by the Democratic party and 34 percent from Republicans.
Three in four respondents said they are closely following the midterm elections and 63 percent say they “are almost certain” they will vote come November.
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