The percentage of Latinos who voted for GOP candidates in the 2018 midterm elections was higher than the percentage of Latinos who voted for Donald Trump in 2016.
President Trump pulled in a respectable 28 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2016, despite his positions on immigration and a border wall. This year, GOP candidates won 29 percent, according to the Pew Research Center’s exit poll data.
In U.S. congressional races nationwide, an estimated 69% of Latinos voted for the Democratic candidate and 29% backed the Republican candidate, a more than two-to-one advantage for Democrats, according to National Election Pool exit poll data. These results largely reflect the party affiliation of Latinos. In a Pew Research Center pre-election survey, 62% of Latinos said they identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party compared with 27% who affiliated with the Republican Party. Among other racial and ethnic groups, a lower share of whites (44%) voted for Democrats in congressional races compared with blacks (90%) and Asians (77%). (Exit polls offer the first look at who voted in an election, a portrait that will be refined over time as more data, such as state voter files, become available.)
While Hispanics made up 11 percent of overall voters on election day, they formed a key electorate in several Senate races, including “Texas (30%), Arizona (23%), Florida (20%) and Nevada (19%),” according to Pew. Republican Ted Cruz managed to win 35 percent of the Latino vote in his Texas race for U.S. Senate, while Governor Greg Abbott won 42 percent in his campaign for re-election.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 19: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol January 19, 2018 in Washington, DC. A continuing resolution to fund the government has passed the House of Representatives but faces a stiff challenge in the Senate. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)
In Florida, a high population of Cuban-Americans propelled GOP Candidates Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis to 45 and 44 percent, respectively. (RELATED: Tucker Asked Jorge Ramos How Many Caravan Migrants He Planned To Take In — Things Got Awkward Fast)