Affordability And The Economy Drove Hispanic Voters To Democrats, Not Trump’s Immigration Policies

A plurality of Hispanic voters who voted for Democrats in the Nov. 3 midterm election were primarily motivated by concerns over the economy, not immigration, an NBC News exit poll found.

Forty-five percent of Hispanics believed the economy was the most important issue facing the U.S., while 15% said immigration, according to the exit poll. Sixty-one percent of voters identifying immigration as the top issue voted Republican, while 63% who prioritized the economy voted for Democrats.

Sixty-two percent of Hispanic voters said the cost of living was “crucial” to their vote, according to the exit poll. The vast majority, 70% and 57%, of those respondents voted for Democrats. Sixty-five percent of voters who considered it a “minor factor” voted for Republicans.

Forty-three percent of Hispanics said immigration enforcement policies were “crucial” and 33% identified it as a “major factor,” according to the exit poll. Among those considering it a crucial matter, 59% of voters voted Democrat and 39% voted Republican. Sixty-two percent considering immigration enforcement a major factor voted for Democrats and 35% voted for Republicans.

Hispanics shifted toward Democrats by 28 points since 2024, according to The New York Times.

Economic issues leading into the 2024 presidential election prompted President Donald Trump to make historic inroads with Hispanic men. After the election, polling showed three quarters of Latino voters disapproved of how Trump handled the economy and cost of living, according to an NBC News/Telemundo poll.

About two thirds of Latino voters believed the administration had gone too far on immigration enforcement, while 30% approved, according the NBC News/Telemundo poll. A Pew Research poll found that 62% of Latino voters believed the administration was doing too much to deport illegal aliens, while 22% believed the right amount was being done.

Republican Florida Rep. Maria Salazar alleged that “some” of Trump’s immigration policies had “gone too far” in a campaign ad from September. Salazar sponsored the DIGNIDAD (Dignity Act), an immigration reform package that would provide legal status for some illegal immigrants in the U.S.

“In July, 50% of the 50,000 people that were detained had no criminal record,” Salazar said. “Be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policy. The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today. You can be for immigration what Lincoln was for slavery and Reagan was for communism.”