Vice President Kamala Harris is facing another electoral dip among Latino voters, despite being a historically reliable voter demographic for Democrats.
Former President Donald Trump has pulled ahead of Harris by 11 points among Latino voters at 49% while the Democratic nominee trails at just 38%, according to a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll from Monday. While Trump has made inroads with the demographic, this slip in support is cause for alarm for the Harris camp.
Latinos have consistently voted in favor of Democratic presidential candidates. In 2020, President Joe Biden secured 65% of the Hispanic vote while Trump pulled 32% support. Similarly, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won 66% of the Hispanic vote with 28% supporting Trump in 2016.
“She needs to stop targeting specific groups and instead say, ‘I’m going to be the president for all Americans,'” Jon McHenry, a GOP polling analyst and vice president at North Star Opinion Research, told Blaze News.
“She’s got enough leaks in her boat now that she just needs a new boat,” McHenry continued.
This trend could prove particularly consequential for the 2024 presidential race in swing states with substantial Hispanic populations. Roughly a third of the population in Arizona and Nevada is Latino, two states that have become increasingly tight for the presidential hopefuls.
In Arizona, Trump is currently an average of 1.8 points ahead of Harris, which is a slimmer margin compared to a 4.2 point lead in July after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Trump is also holding a 0.9 point advantage in Nevada, which Harris has managed to narrow from four points in late July.
“This puts Nevada in jeopardy, and it puts Arizona in jeopardy for sure, but it also puts Georgia and North Carolina in jeopardy,” McHenry told Blaze News. “It’s not a gigantic share of the population, but it may be enough, especially in the case of Georgia, where there was an 11,000 vote margin last time. At this point, she could lose that in almost any demographic.”
The Democratic nominee is still trying to recoup her losses. Harris’ campaign released a list of policy proposals Tuesday that she said would “deliver real changes for Latino men and their families” just a week after unveiling her “opportunity agenda” for black men.
Similar to last week’s pitch, Harris is offering up no-interest, fully forgivable small-business loans for Hispanics, down-payment assistance for first-time Hispanic homebuyers, and a $6,000 child tax credit for Latino families.
“She’s got 55 plans to increase the deficit, but what is she really trying to do?” McHenry told Blaze News. “There’s no real sense of an overarching goal. There’s no real sense of leadership when you’re cherry-picking the groups you’re talking to.”
Harris is attempting to regain ground she has lost in light of her extremely unpopular track record. The majority of Hispanic voters, 55%, said they disapprove of her job as vice president while just 35% said they approved, according to the USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll.
Hispanics also prefer Trump over Harris to handle issues that are most important to them. Among Hispanics, Trump outperformed Harris 58% to 34% on the economy and 54% to 38% on immigration, according to the poll. The majority, 56%, said Trump would provide strong leadership while just 38% said the same for Harris.
“I just think that the Biden-Harris administration’s record on the economy is forcing a lot of people to vote based on their pocketbooks rather than social issues, especially the Hispanic voter,” McHenry told Blaze News.
“She’s terrified that she’s going to lose,” McHenry continued. “She’s not going to lose Hispanic voters overall, but she’s terrified she’s going to lose too much of the Hispanic vote.”
The Harris campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
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