31
Washington, April 17.- Recent opinion polls in the United States indicate that President Joe Biden is having particular problems maintaining the support of Hispanic voters.
A Quinnipiac University poll released this week found that just 26 percent of Latino voters approve of Biden’s job, the lowest mark of any demographic group.
A sharp drop in presidential support in this segment could herald disastrous midterm elections for the president and the Democratic Party, particularly in states like Texas and Florida, analysts agree.
Although Biden’s approval numbers may not directly correlate to support for either Democratic or Republican candidates in November, blue (D) faction supporters with low confidence in the president may be less likely to attend.
When Latinos disapprove of the president’s actions, two things could happen: they choose to support a non-Democratic candidate, be it a Republican or an independent; or that they don’t feel motivated to vote, said Pew Research Center research director for race and ethnicity Mark Hugo López.
A Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday found Biden’s approval rating is just 33 percent. However, his approval rating among Hispanic voters in the poll was even more disappointing at 26 percent.
There’s a perception among Democrats that Latinos are only interested in immigration, John Anzalone, a Biden pollster, said on a Politico podcast this week.
But another poll released March 30 found that 31 percent of Hispanics polled named inflation the country’s most pressing problem, more than any other issue.
While Biden’s low overall popularity means he won’t be a foolproof campaign tool to bolster struggling Democrats, they haven’t given up hope of winning the fall semesters either, the study said.
According to a March report by the Pew Research Center, 50 percent of Hispanic voters say they are more likely or likely to vote for the Democratic candidate in their constituencies, while 28 percent said the same for Republican candidates.
But Hispanic communities have historically been tough to get to the ballot box, and a combination of low voter enthusiasm and restrictive new local voting laws could undo recent improvements on that front, Lopez said. (LP)