WASHINGTON (AP) — A clear majority of Hispanic women have a positive opinion of Vice President Kamala Harris and a negative opinion of former President Donald Trump, but Hispanic men are divided on both candidates, according to a recent poll by The Associated Press. NORC Center for Public Affairs.
Hispanic men are also more likely than Hispanic women to say Trump is the candidate who represents their views on key issues, underscoring the potential importance of this group that both candidates have courted aggressively.
As the election approaches, the extent to which Trump can erode Harris’ support among Hispanic voters could be an vital factor in swing states like Arizona. Hispanic voters are more supportive of Democrats overall: Nearly half identify as Democrats, about a third identify as Republicans and about two in 10 identify as independents, according to the survey. But the poll shows that while Hispanic men are not overwhelmingly pro-Trump, they are more receptive to his candidacy than Hispanic women — and less receptive to Harris.
Antonio Melcon, 65, a Republican from Florida, said Trump had his vote because he was the best option for the country. In Melcon’s view, the Biden administration has led the nation down a bad path and Harris has done nothing to prevent it.
“She wasn’t the one who implemented the path that this country took, but she was there and didn’t do anything that deserved me to vote for her,” Melcon said. “There’s no way I would vote for her.”
Hispanic men and women have different views of Harris
Overall, Hispanic voters are about equally likely to have positive views of Trump and Harris. But there is a gender gap among Hispanic voters on Harris: About 6 in 10 Hispanic women have a somewhat or very favorable opinion of Harris, compared to 45% of Hispanic men.
Likewise, about half of Hispanic women voters believe Harris would be a good president, compared to only about a third of Hispanic men.
For some voters, a candidate might appear in a better featherlight simply because they don’t like the alternative. Sonia Montoya, a 68-year-old Democrat from Chicago, said that while she agreed with many of Harris’ policies, she still viewed Harris as the lesser of two evils. Montoya said Harris was more humane and had a better understanding of society, while she viewed Trump as “arrogant, a liar, a fraud.”
About six in 10 Hispanic female voters not only have warmer feelings toward Harris but also say Trump would not be a good president, compared to about half of Hispanic male voters.
And Hispanic men are more likely than Hispanic women to believe Trump has the toughness the presidency requires. About half of Hispanic men say “tough enough to be president” describes Trump extremely or very well, compared with about a third of Hispanic women. Hispanic men are also more likely than Hispanic women to say Trump is the candidate who represents their views on vital policy issues.
However, many Hispanic men continue to support Harris and are skeptical of Trump. Sebastian Diaz, 51 and an independent from Massachusetts, views Harris “rather positively” because he agrees with her ideology. He said he had a “very negative” view of Trump because he was “a racist bigot.”
The economy is a high priority for Hispanic voters
Despite some disagreements about the candidates, however, Hispanic voters largely agree that the economy is an vital factor as they consider their options for president. About 8 in 10 Hispanic voters say the economy is “one of the most important issues” this election season.
Daysi Garcia, 44, a Republican from Pennsylvania, said food has become so pricey that the candidates’ economic plans will guide their vote. Garcia, who was a self-described Democrat until last year, said that while she doesn’t agree with all of Trump’s policies, she is unhappy with Democrats and believes Trump is the better choice to lead the country.
“It’s so bad right now,” Garcia said. “It’s so hard to buy groceries because everything is going through the roof. I can’t remember anything ever skyrocketing like it is now.”
Melcon agrees that the cost of living is too high. “The economy is the most important thing to me,” he said. “The environment, immigration – which is also a problem – that’s second fiddle.”
About 6 in 10 Hispanic voters also say health care or crime are among the most vital issues for their vote, while about half say the same about gun policy. Slightly less than half say abortion or immigration are among the most vital issues. Hispanic voters are more likely than voters nationwide to see health care as a top voting priority.
Diaz said health care is a basic human need, just like food and water.
“I think universal access to health care is incredibly important for the social development of a country,” Diaz said.
More and more Hispanic voters believe Harris represents their culture
Harris has a potential advantage over Trump among Hispanic voters: About four in 10 say she is the candidate who better represents their background and culture, while about a quarter say the same about Trump. However, a significant proportion are not convinced that either candidate fits the role: About three in ten say neither candidate represents their background and culture.
The fact that Harris is the daughter of immigrants could give some Hispanic voters a sense of representation, civic engagement advocates say, even if she is not of Hispanic descent herself.
Montoya said that as someone who is biracial, Harris best represents her identity. “She knows what it feels like to be insulted or sidelined or to feel worthless because of the prejudices in this world,” Montoya said. “I think she will fight harder for us than (Trump) ever would.”
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Figueroa reported from Austin.
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The survey of 1,771 registered voters was conducted September 12-16, 2024. A sample was used from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is intended to be representative of the US population. The margin of sampling error for registered voters is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
