Harris viewed more positively by Hispanic women than by Hispanic men: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — A large majority of Spanish women have a positive opinion of the vice president Kamala Harris and a negative image of the former president Donald Trumpbut hispanic men are more divided between both candidates, according to a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Also, Hispanic men are more likely than Hispanic women to say Trump is the candidate who represents their positions on important issues, underscoring the potential importance of this group, which both candidates have aggressively pursued.
As the election approaches, the extent to which Trump can erode Harris’ support among Hispanic voters could be an important factor in swing states like Arizona. Hispanic voters are generally more supportive of Democrats, with nearly half identifying as Democrats, about a third as Republicans and about 2 in 10 as independents, according to the poll. But the poll shows that Hispanic men, even if not overwhelmingly supportive of Trump, are more open to his candidacy than Hispanic women — and less open to Harris’s.
Antonio Melcon, 65, a Republican from Florida, said Trump has his vote because he is the best option for the country. According to Melcon, the Biden administration has taken the nation down a bad path, and Harris has done nothing to stop it.
“She wasn’t the one who implemented the path this country has taken, but she’s been there and she hasn’t done anything that would make me vote for her,” Melcon said. “I would absolutely never vote for her.”
Overall, Hispanic voters are about equally likely to say they have a positive view of Trump and Harris. But there is a gender gap among Hispanic voters on Harris: About 6 in 10 Hispanic women have a somewhat or very positive opinion of Harris, compared with 45% of Hispanic men.
Similarly, about half of Hispanic women voters think Harris would be a good president, compared to only about a third of Hispanic men.
For some voters, a candidate may appear in a better light simply because they don’t like the alternative. Sonia Montoya, a 68-year-old Democrat from Chicago, said that while she agrees with many of Harris’ policies, she still sees Harris as the lesser of two evils. Montoya said Harris is more human and understands society better, while she views Trump as “arrogant, a liar, a cheat.”
In addition to having warmer feelings toward Harris, about six in 10 Hispanic female voters say Trump would not be a good president, compared to about half of Hispanic male voters.
And Hispanic men are more likely than Hispanic women to think Trump has the toughness that the presidency requires. About half of Hispanic men say “strong enough to be president” describes Trump extremely or very well, compared with about a third of Hispanic women. Hispanic men are also more likely than Hispanic women to say Trump is the candidate who represents their views on important policies.
However, many Latin American men remain supportive of Harris and skeptical of Trump. Sebastian Diaz, 51 and an independent from Massachusetts, views Harris “somewhat positively” because he agrees with her ideology. He said he has a “very unfavorable” view of Trump because he is “a racist bigot.”
Despite some divisions in the candidates’ views, Hispanic voters largely agree that the economy is an important factor when considering their options for president. About 8 in 10 Spanish voters say the economy is “one of the most important issues” during this election season.
Daysi Garcia, 44, a Republican from Pennsylvania, said groceries have become so expensive that candidates’ economic plans are driving her voting habits. Garcia was a self-identified Democrat until last year. Although she disagrees with all of Trump’s policies, she is unhappy with Democrats and thinks Trump would be a better choice to run the country.
“It’s so bad right now,” Garcia said. “It’s so hard to go grocery shopping because everything is going through the roof. I don’t remember ever seeing everything skyrocket like it is now.”
Melcon agrees that the cost of living is too high. “The economy is the most important thing for me,” he said. “The environment, immigration – which is also a problem – that’s second fiddle.”
About 6 in 10 Hispanic voters also say health care or crime are among the most important issues for their vote, while about half say so about gun policy. Just under half say abortion or immigration are among the most important. Hispanic voters are more likely than voters nationwide to consider health care a top priority when voting.
Diaz said healthcare, like food and water, is a basic human need.
“I think universal access to health care is incredibly important for the social development of a country,” Diaz said.
Harris has one potential advantage over Trump among Hispanic voters: About four in 10 say she is the candidate who better represents their background and culture, while about a quarter say this about Trump. However, a significant proportion are not convinced that either candidate is a good fit for this role, with around 3 in 10 saying neither candidate represents their background and culture.
The fact that Harris is the daughter of immigrants can give some Hispanic voters a sense of representation, civic engagement advocates say, even if she isn’t Hispanic herself.
Montoya said Harris, as someone who is biracial, represents her identity the best. “She knows what it feels like to be insulted or pushed aside or made to feel worthless because of prejudice in this world,” Montoya said. “I think she will fight harder for us than (Trump) ever would.”
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Figueroa reported from Austin.
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The survey of 1,771 registered voters was conducted September 12-16, 2024, using a sample from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for registered voters is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.