Stung by Caustic Comments, Latinos Weigh Election Choices

Latino voters are becoming increasingly important on the political stage on the eve of the 2024 presidential election, potentially impacting the outcome in key battleground states.

However, the influence of misinformation and racially insensitive comments pose significant challenges for the candidates trying to win over Latino voters. 

A recent rally for Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York City drew widespread condemnation following controversial remarks made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe. His comments at the Oct. 27 rally, which included derogatory jokes about Latinos, have sparked outrage among politicians, the Latino community, and Puerto Rican celebrities such as Bad Bunny, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ricky Martin. 

“These Latinos love making babies, too. Just know that,” said Hinchcliffe, playing on old, racist tropes and fears of minorities outpacing whites in birth rates.

“There’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now,” he continued minutes later. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”

Hinchcliffe's insult-style comedy, which minimized the experiences of the Latino community, could hinder Trump's efforts to garner votes with this crucial demographic. 

Cecely Feliciano, a 22-year-old nursing student at Antillean Adventist University in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, said that the comments were not humorous at all but were a reflection of a broader trend of insensitivity towards the Latino community, echoing sentiments expressed by Trump over the years.

“They say we’re trash, but they don’t mention how Puerto Rican women were used in the first large-scale human trials of birth control,” she noted.

Recalling the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in September 2017, the nursing student explained the challenges thousands of Puerto Ricans faced when federal aid was delayed.

“We remember how Trump blocked billions of dollars in hurricane relief after Hurricane Maria,” Feliciano said. “He threw us some paper towels and thought that would fix it.” 

Feliciano is not the only one who feels that Hinchcliffe’s insults were ignorant and disgraceful – and an extension of Trump’s feelings toward Puerto Rico, an unincorporated U.S. territory of 3.2 million citizens, all of whom are eligible to vote.

“You attach Tony’s comments to Trump’s disrespect to PR during Hurricane Maria, and that says it all,” said Adrian Martinez, a Puerto Rican American who lives in Lake Worth. 

Martinez, 49, was born in Parma, Ohio. At age three, he moved to Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and then to Lakeland, Florida, at 16 for a better life and opportunity.

This pursuit of progress led him to graduate from the University of Central Florida with a degree in business management. With 25 years of experience as a field adjuster, he is actively engaged in politics, having already voted blue: He cast his ballot during the early period, and chose Vice President Kamala Harris. 

“I voted for her because I believe her policies, such as her tax plan, will help all Americans, not just the 1%. The other candidate is running for his best interest and to stay out of jail,” Martinez said.

He also addressed the media landscape, noting he primarily gets his news information from Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. However, he expressed skepticism toward the media’s portrayal of Latino voters, observing the tendency to depict them as gullible and easily pursued by misinformation. 

“Fox News contributes to misinformation. They were sued and had to pay over $850 million for their lies,” he said.

The Latino population has grown significantly over the past two decades, and their influence in elections has surged.

According to a Pew Research Center survey from Aug. 26 to Sept. 2, 2024, 57% of Latino registered voters would vote for Kamala Harris, while 39% said they would vote for Donald Trump.

Latino presidential choices are comparable to 2020, when Biden defeated Trump by 61% to 36% of Latino voters. 

Dr. Luzmarina Garcia, an assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University and a pollster with FAU’s PolCom Lab, highlighted a trend where Latino men are heavily favoring Trump while Latino women are gravitating towards Harris. 

“We are seeing a significant segment of young men increasingly identifying with evangelical beliefs, which correlates with their support for Trump,” Garcia explained. “In contrast, women, especially minority women, are prioritizing issues like bodily autonomy and education, which tend to align them with the Democratic Party.”

Garcia explained the deeper underlying dynamics that shape Latinos’ political affiliations. This is particularly relevant in Florida, where 27.4% of residents are Hispanic or Latino, according to recent census data. 

“A lot of Latinos come from countries with long lineages of socialism and communism, and a lot of dynamics come from that, whether it be dictatorship or military juntas,” she said. 

This historical context is particularly significant for Cuban Americans, a demographic that has faced direct consequences from socialist policies in their homeland. 

Recent polling from Florida International University (FIU) underscored this trend, revealing that a staggering 68% of Cuban American voters intend to support Trump in the upcoming election. This statistic reflects a broader pattern of political alignment within the Cuban American community, with 55% identifying as Republicans.

Furthermore, the poll indicates that this demographic is not only politically engaged but also actively participates in the electoral process, with 95% registered to vote and 89% committed to casting their ballots.

In the final days and hours before the election, the specter of Trump and his surrogates maligning Latinos could tip the scales difference. In Pennsylvania, for example, Harris leads Trump by 34 percent among Latino voters, according to a poll by Univision and YouGov. According to an FAU poll released Monday, Trump and Harris are within one to two percentage points of each other in Midwestern battleground states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.