Difficult economic times are spurring working-class and minority voters toward the Republican Party, while Democrats lead among white-collar workers, according to a recent poll.
The Democratic Party’s favorability in congressional elections leads among white, college-educated voters by 20%, but the parties are nearly tied among Hispanic voters, according to a
New York Times
/ Siena College poll. Though Democrats retain a majority of the black vote, their diminishing share of the Hispanic vote and voters without college degrees signifies a drastic realignment from the last several election cycles.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN’S POPULARITY TANKS AMONG HISPANICS AS REPUBLICAN WAVE BUILDS
Democrats won the Hispanic/Latino vote by a 50-percentage-point margin in 2018, but economic concerns seem to be contributing to their exodus across the aisle. And 42% said that either the economy or inflation was their biggest concern heading into the midterm elections, compared to 32% of white voters with college degrees.
The poll results come as Republicans are within striking distance of winning the House majority for the first time in four years. Republicans need to net five seats in the 435-member chamber to end the House Democrats’ reign. And in the 50-50 Senate, where Vice President Kamala Harris casts tiebreaking votes in Democrats’ favor, the shifts between parties among key voting blocs could give Republicans an edge as they aim for a majority in November.
The same poll also found that President Joe Biden’s popularity has tanked among Hispanics, with about 60% strongly or somewhat disapproving of his performance. It surveyed 849 likely voters between July 2 and July 7 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 points.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Congressional Republicans have been recruiting more female and minority candidates this election cycle, and 29 of the 75 House districts the party is targeting have a Hispanic population of 15% or more. The GOP recently saw success in one of these endeavors when Rep. Mayra Flores (R-TX) won a special election and managed to flip a South Texas district that was controlled by Democrats for a century.
