As the Democratic National Convention opens tonight in Chicago, Latino enthusiasm for the soon-to-be Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has boosted Democrats’ chances of retaining the White House in November.
Since joining the race, Harris has reaped record donations and re-energized voters who reported lower rates of enthusiasm before President Joe Biden left the race. A just-released poll conducted by BSP Research on behalf of Hispanic Federation highlights these shifts in the Latino electorate. Conducted over the last two weeks, the survey shows Harris with a +24 net vote advantage over Republican nominee Donald Trump, a jump from the +5 net vote advantage Biden showed in early June.
The change from Biden to Harris has not only increased support for Harris, but has revived interest from voters. The survey found 57 percent of Latino voters in battleground states say they are now “more interested” in voting in the 2024 election; this includes 68 percent of Democrats and 56 percent of young voters aged 18-29.
“This poll confirms what we are seeing at rallies and on TikTok – the enthusiasm for Kamala Harris is real and Latino voters today are very enthusiastic about voting in 2024,” said BSP Research co-founder Matt Barreto. “As her story and her policy accomplishments become better known, the data suggests her support will continue to grow.”
Young voters had posed a unique problem for the Biden-Harris ticket, but with Harris as the presumptive nominee, young voters say they are now more likely to participate in this year’s election: 65 percent of voters 18-29 said that they are “almost certain” they will vote, an increase of 11 points since last March.
Harris also holds a lead on key issues for Latinos going into the convention. On abortion, one of Harris’ strongest issues, she holds a +48 point advantage over Trump. Latinos also say they trust Harris more on looking to provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants “who have lived and worked in the United States for a long time” (+41). Addressing border security is one area where Harris trails Trump, who enjoys an +8 point advantage in trust over Harris.
As it among the American electorate overall, jobs and the economy continue to be salient issues for Latinos; this also has shown to be a weak spot for the Democratic Party. Yet, despite some associating their personal finances with the Biden administration, the Hispanic Federation survey found that Latinos are 17 points more likely to trust Kamala Harris with “creating better paying jobs for working and middle class Americans.”
Harris will accept her party’s nomination Thursday night in Chicago, solidifying her as the second woman and the first woman of color to be a presidential nominee of a major party in the United States.