Political scientist Ruy Teixeira is changing his tune on Democrats’ chances in Nevada as the party demonstrates a key weakness with Latino voters, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
Teixeira, who had previously predicted in 2002 Nevada would become “dependably Democratic in the next decade” due to its increasing Latino population, now says “recent trends look good for the Republicans,” according to The Washington Post.
After listening in on a Democratic-led focus group of Hispanic voters, Teixeira noted the high population of working-class voters who were concerned about the economy and Biden’s immigration policy, according to the Post. (RELATED: Shocker: Pollsters Once Again Drastically Underestimate Populist Conservative’s Numbers)
“I think both parties have a job to do if they want to be the party of the working class,” Teixeira said, according to the outlet.
In the Nevada Senate race, Republican candidate Adam Laxalt is currently leading Democratic opponent Catherine Cortez Masto by 0.7 points. Biden carried the state by 2.4 points in the 2020 presidential election.
MINDEN, NEVADA – OCTOBER 08: Nevada Republican U.S. Senate candidate Adam Laxalt greets supporters during a campaign rally at Minden-Tahoe Airport on October 08, 2022 in Minden, Nevada. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Republicans have been making inroads with Latino voters of late, particularly among working-class voters in the demographic. Between the 2016 and 2020 elections, support for the Democratic presidential candidate declined by 7%, while support for the Republican candidate increased by 10%.
A recent NBC News survey of Latino voters showed Democrats leading Republicans by a much slimmer margin than in 2012. In 2012, 42% more Latinos said they favored a Democrat-controlled Congress over a Republican-controlled Congress. In 2022, that margin was down by 21%.
Nevada’s population is 29.9% people of Latino or Hispanic origin, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
