Two years ago, President Trump made historic gains with Hispanic voters nationwide and won a majority of Hispanics in Texas, turning conventional wisdom on its head.
But now Democrats are seeing signs that Hispanics may be moving backwards, reflecting widespread frustration with the state of the economy and immigration policies, as well as Mr. Trump’s declining approval ratings.
Hispanics make up more than 30% of Texas’ eligible electorate, making it a key constituency in races for Senate, governor and state House of Representatives. Polls show a close contest between Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton, and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s re-election against Democrat Gina Hinojosa could also be close.
“A Hispanic hurricane is coming,” predicted Chuck Rocha, a Democratic strategist and CBS News political contributor who advises the Talarico and Hinojosa campaigns. “We just don’t know yet if it’s going to be Category 2 or Category 5, but it’s just blowing up in front of the GOP, and they don’t know what to do about it.”
But Republicans say enthusiasm for Democrats is still muted.
“I think most voters can’t tell you what the Democrats’ plan is to lower prices,” said Daniel Garza, president of the conservative FREE Initiative.
In a competitive House race in South Texas, both candidates expressed concerns to CBS News about the Trump administration’s immigration tactics.
The Democratic candidate, Tejano music star Bobby Pulido, said “there is chaos in the streets” due to “aggressive ICE enforcement.”
Outgoing GOP Rep. Monica De La Cruz predicted Texas would remain red. “But I think this is a wake-up call for Republicans to stay focused on affordability and finding a solution on immigration,” she said.
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