Some Democrats are sounding the alarm over a new poll that showed a troublesome statistic for the party ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, The Hill reported Monday.
A new Wall Street Journal (WSJ) survey found that support from Hispanic voters is virtually divided between Democrats and Republicans, leaving some Democrats anxious ahead of a crucial election cycle, according to The Hill.
“I think that both parties should always have a sense of urgency in communicating with Hispanics, Latinos,” Ivan Zapien, former executive director at the Hispanic Leadership Council of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), reportedly said. However, Zapien went on to say that “Democrats’ heads should be on fire over this issue,” according to The Hill.
“I think that their head should be on fire over this issue every day regardless of what polls say,” Zapien said. (RELATED: No One Is Sure Who Won The Latino Vote In Virginia, But It’s Not Looking Good For Democrats)
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 10: A police officer helps a Latina and children pass pro-Trump demonstrators as thousands of immigrants and supporters join the Defend DACA March to oppose President Trump’s order to end DACA on September 10, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Although President Joe Biden won more than 63% of the Hispanic vote in 2020, the poll found that only 44% of Hispanic voters would vote for Biden and 43% would vote for Trump.
“The Republican Party has a way easier job than we do. They just need to strip 5 percent to 7 percent of our national vote and they win,” said Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s campaign arm, Bold PAC, said, according to The Hill.
Gallego reportedly added that continued investments into the Democrats’ national coalition are “very expensive, especially as we have a growing population.”
DNC senior spokesman and Coalitions director Lucas Acosta defended Democrats’ effort to support Latinos, noting that Biden has delivered on several economic initiatives that prop up Latinos, such as the expanded child tax credit.
“In the coming year, Democrats will continue to make the case to Latinos that while President Biden has focused on improving their lives, Republicans have consistently tried to stand in the way,” said Acosta, according to The Hill.
A recent poll from Bendixen & Amandi International found that just 2% of Hispanic voters identify as “Latinx” while 89% identify as “Hispanic, Latino or Latina.”