As the nation’s fastest-growing demographic, the Latino population will have a big impact in the battleground state of PA.
According to Pew Research, more than 600,000 Latinos are eligible to vote in Pennsylvania, with an average age of 27 compared to the state average of 44. Latino voters have historically voted for Democrats in elections, but in-roads by former president Trump among this key demographic have raised some alarm bells for the Democrats.
In a poll by Axios-Ipsos, the economic concerns of Latino voters, particularly small business owners, are resonating with the Republican party’s issue focus on lower taxation. High living costs and economic instability have led individuals like Milves Teresa, a paralegal who voted for Biden in 2020, to reconsider their political allegiance according to an interview from NBCNews.
Reading, part of the newly dubbed “Latino Belt”, is one of the cities in Pennsylvania where Latinos now make up nearly 70% of the population. In 2020, Joe Biden won the state by a margin of 80,000 votes, and Latino voters were a significant part of that victory according to a report published by the UCLA Policy and Politics Institute. While Biden carried Reading by a substantial 46-point margin in 2020, Donald Trump did make significant inroads in 2020, gaining 15 points compared to 2016.
This year, Republicans are trying to sway Latino voters by focusing on the economy, immigration, and abortion, according to NBC News. The Trump campaign, in collaboration with the Republican National Committee, has opened a “Latino Americans for Trump” office in Reading. The Trump campaign has also started an online sign-up initiative called “Trump Force 47” for volunteer recruitment in PA.
Meanwhile, CBS NEWS reports that the Harris campaign has seen a 43,000 upsurge in PA volunteer sign-ups since the Vice President took over the top of the ticket. Leading up to her party’s convention, Harris and Walz have launched a bus tour to make their pitch to small towns throughout Pennsylvania.
