After Latino voters moved toward President Donald Trump in November, a new in-depth survey of this demographic shows their support for him could be breaking, according to polling shared first with POLITICO.
Throughout the president’s first few months in office, his favorability among Latinos is crashing, especially among independents and women, according to a new poll conducted by Global Strategy Group and commissioned by Somos Votantes, a Democratic-leaning group that focuses on Latinos.
Among independents, Trump’s approval dropped from 43 percent in February to 29 percent in May. Overall, his approval among Latinos dropped from 43 percent to 39 percent. The poll surveyed 800 Hispanic/Latino registered voters nationwide between May 8 and May 18 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
The Latinos surveyed were also increasingly negative on Trump’s handling of the economy, with just 38 percent of those surveyed holding a positive view. Among independents, that figure drops to 26 percent, and among women it’s at 30 percent.
“These numbers tell a pretty clear story that (Trump’s economic) trust is not only steadily, but quickly, eroding, which is a huge liability for the president,” said Somos Votantes president Melissa Morales, who said Trump’s gains among Latinos were mostly because of his promises to create a better economy.
Fifty-six percent of those surveyed said that the economy is getting worse under Trump’s administration, and 19 percent said the economy is improving.
“I think there are a lot of Latinos who didn’t necessarily vote for Donald Trump. They voted for change,” Morales said. “They voted for something different than they were experiencing in their everyday economic lives.”
Republicans have continued to bet that Hispanic and Latino voters will continue to back them in the midterms following Trump’s inroads. On Monday, the National Republican Congressional Committee launched a Spanish ad campaign targeting eight House Democrats, which doubled down on their promise to target 11 seats occupied by Democrats across the Southwest.
Republicans point to Trump’s progress with this voting bloc, as well as specific gains in a few majority-Hispanic House districts. When Republicans announced their targets, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) — who chairs the NRCC — made a direct plea to Hispanic voters during a cable appearance.
“Hispanic voters. We want your vote,” Hudson said at the time. “We share your values. Our policies will make your lives better.”
Somos Votantes said that messaging isn’t landing so far.
“There is a huge disconnect between what Hispanic/Latino voters want the President and Congress to focus on versus what they believe Trump and Republicans are doing,” said a memo shared alongside the polling.