Dems' win in key midterm races boosted by Latino voters: Study

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Axios
4 Jan 2023 11:16

Republicans have long demonized Hispanics, regardless of immigration status.

Midterms stats reveal Hispanics boosted Dems' chances in several races

A study conducted by research firm Equis revealed to Axios that Latino votes were just enough to help Democrats win several key races in multiple states, including Arizona, Nevada, and Texas.

Prior to the release of these findings, several analysts forecasted that the Dems would be losing support from the Hispanic community, instead joining the Republican side.

For instance, in some Hispanic-majority communities in Arizona, Democrat Senator Mark Kelly beat outspoken Trump-supported and Republican Blake Masters, while the analysis found Kelly marginally exceeded the number of votes President Biden got in 2020.

In Nevada, the Hispanic community provided a strong boost for Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, who also happens to be the nation's only Latina Senator. The results show that "just enough" Latinos voted for her to win the race by a "tight margin".

As for South Texas, Republican Mayra Flores failed to get re-elected after she had won an election for a traditionally Democratic seat.

But in Florida, where Republican Ron DeSantis won the race, the analysis strangely reveals that Republican gains were the highest among non-Cuban American and non-Puerto Rican Latino voters.

GOP candidates managed to capture governor's seats in Arizona and Nevada although Dems had in both states earned less support than Biden in 2020.

"Whereas in Florida the shifts among Latino voters could be measured in yards, elsewhere it was a matter of inches," said Carlos Odio, co-founder of Equis Labs, adding that Dems had done "just enough" among Latino voters to win key races to stave off GOP wins across the nation.

"I think the top line is that Latinos live in a perpetual persuasion window," Tory Gavito, president and CEO of leftist home base Way to Win, told Axios, stressing that Latino voters backed Democrats in the midterms because Republicans were about "chaos, mobs, and MAGA."

Dems need to invest more time and energy into explaining how their agenda will support the Latino community.

These results come against the backdrop of recent moves initiated by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to pressure the Biden administration to take action on immigration enforcement and border security.

Governor Abbott began transporting migrants from border cities to the capital in April, which landed him heavy criticism.

The Texas governor explained his decision to move the migrants in a letter to President Biden that he was doing so because migrant housing facilities had to release residents outside onto the streets due to frigid conditions in places like El Paso.

"Your policies will leave many people in the bitter, dangerous cold as a polar vortex moves into Texas," Abbott wrote. "Texas has borne a lopsided burden caused by your open border policies."

The Republican also described the current border crisis as a "catastrophe" for which Biden was solely responsible. "This terrible crisis for border communities in Texas is a catastrophe of your own making," he wrote.

"The need to address this crisis is not the job of border states like Texas. Instead, the US Constitution dictates that it is your job, Mr. President, to defend the borders of our country, regulate our nation’s immigration, and manage those who seek refuge here," he added.

Abbott also cautioned that if the federal government abandons its Title 42 policy, which limits the number of immigrants who are permitted to enter the United States, the problem will only grow worse.

The Department of Homeland Security projects between 9,000 and 15,000 migrant encounters a day once the policy ends, a surge that would add to the already highest annual total of encounters in US history.

In September last year, 101 migrants on board two buses sent by Texan governor Greg Abbott were dropped off next to Vice President Kamala Harris' home in Washington, D.C., according to American sources.

The 101 migrants were picked up in Eagle Pass, Texas, and were sent to Washington under the care and supervision of the non-profit organization Sanctuary DMV. According to the organization, it had arranged for a church to offer them a "safe location".

Most of the migrants were from South American countries, such as Venezuela, Uruguay, Colombia, and Mexico.

On December 25, 2022, another three buses bringing migrants from Texas arrived in Washington, D.C. One of the buses dropped off its passengers close to Vice President Kamala Harris' residence.

Abbott has previously sent dozens of buses of migrants across northern parts of the US, including New York, DC, and Chicago. Texas’ migrant buses are meant to send a message about immigration and antagonize Democrats as Southern states have been protesting the White House's inability to manage the border and migrant crises by relocating migrants to so-called sanctuary states.