Politics
In The Community
Originally published in The Latino Newsletter–reprinted with permission.
Opinion for The Latino Newsletter.
David Medina Álvarez, a 25-year-old Mexican immigrant residing in Detroit, Michigan, had a thought: if there are electric cars, why not make electric ATVs? However, he faced a significant hurdle in turning his idea into reality—funding. The solution was through new Biden administration investments to support young entrepreneurs like himself aiming to contribute to the clean energy sector.
Thanks to a $200,000 government grant, David is working on hiring new talent and expanding his company, LIVAQ. There are thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs like David seeking to start a business and contribute to their local economies, as well as tens of thousands of workers looking for jobs. Over the past four years, the Biden administration’s clean energy investments have filled a necessary gap to meet both these needs. Unfortunately, job losses and missed funding opportunities are imminent if the incoming Trump administration makes good on its pledge to end all electric vehicle (EV) tax credits and investments.
EV sales have more than quadrupled in the last four years. This remarkable growth in EV manufacturing has been largely driven by government incentives such as tax credits, which have spurred private investments and increased national demand. However, eliminating these tax credits will substantially threaten the rapidly expanding clean energy sector and jobs it’s created for working-class people, including Latinos.
Saving American consumers over $1 billion this year, these tax credits have sustained thousands of manufacturing jobs while making electric vehicles more affordable and driving demand for clean energy technologies. Trump’s plan to eliminate these incentives could threaten jobs in communities across the country.
While Latinos make up 19% of the overall U.S. labor market, they represent an even larger share of the clean energy industry, comprising 21% of solar jobs and 22% of wind. This overrepresentation highlights the critical role that clean energy plays in providing employment opportunities for Latino communities. The current plan has spurred over 330,000 jobs across the country. Of the 646 new clean energy projects, 290 are in low-income communities, bringing $114 billion in investment and creating 134,385 jobs, demonstrating the sector's potential for economic revitalization.
The clean energy sector has been a significant driver of job creation, particularly for Latino workers. In 2023 alone, nearly one-third of the new energy jobs were held by Latinos, with the workforce growing by 79,000 individuals. Within that growth, clean energy jobs are growing at more than twice the rate of the overall economy, underscoring the sector's importance in providing stable, well-paying jobs to communities historically facing economic challenges.
If the Trump administration squashes these incentives, it risks stalling the sector’s growth, which could lead to job losses and reduced investment in communities that need it the most. For Latino workers, the stakes are particularly high. Clean energy has provided a pathway to economic stability and upward mobility for many Latino families. Jobs in this field often come with competitive wages and benefits, helping to lift workers out of poverty and into the middle class. Clean energy jobs also have higher unionization rates than the overall U.S. workforce. Any loss will devastate Latino communities, exacerbating existing economic disparities and limiting opportunities.
In addition, the sector has been instrumental in addressing climate change, an issue that disproportionately affects low-income and minority communities. Dismantling these efforts is a step backward.
Eliminating EV tax credits directly threatens all this. Support for clean energy investments is strong within the Latino community, and for good reason. We must continue to back policies that promote clean energy and safeguard the jobs critical to our nation's economic future. By maintaining these policies, we can ensure that all Americans, irrespective of their background, have the chance to thrive.
Originally published in The Latino Newsletter–reprinted with permission.
The American Electorate Poll (AEP), described as “a critical cross-check on traditional exit polls,” shared findings about Latino voters in the 2024 election cycle, according to a media release on Wednesday.
The poll of 3,750 Latino voters from October 18-November 14 focused mostly on 10 states (AZ, CA, FL, GA, MI, NC, NV, PA, TX, WI) and included an oversample of nearly 800 Puerto Rican voters shows Kamala Harris with a 62%-37% margin over Donald Trump. Harris won with Latino men (51%-48%) and Latina women (66%-32%). Puerto Ricans chose Harris by 65% and Mexican Americans by 63%. The only subgroup that Trump won, the poll noted, was with voters of Cuban descent (54%).
National exit polls on Election Day showed a 52%-46% national Latino advantage for Harris, with 55% Latino men choosing Donald Trump over 43% for Harris. Sixty percent of Latina women voted for Harris and 38% picked Trump. National exit polls had 2,152 Latino respondents.
The memo about the AEP added that Republicans had “a historic night” and “increased support across most demographics including Latinos.” The memo said the Election Day national exit polls “often rely on low and unrepresentative samples of Hispanic voters,” adding that the AEP “adds depth to our understanding of why and how Latinos and other groups voted.”
“Latino voters were not instrumental in the Trump victory. If no Latino had cast a ballot, the outcome would be unchanged,” a slide about the poll said. “This is true at the national level and likely every battleground state. However, had Latinos voted in ways similar to earlier elections, they may have prevented several states from flipping, though it is less clear that they could have reversed the outcome.”
Another slide said that “Exit polls are less reliable on sub-populations, for reasons of sampling and language-of-interview. Some of the exit poll estimates, if correct, would represent inter-election swings far beyond the expectation of most political scientists. To examine their accuracy, BSP and other organizations will examine precinct level data using Ecological Inference to arrive at a point estimate based on actual votes recorded. While we have just begun (precinct data become available slowly after elections), several examples suggest a significant ‘miss’ by the exits.”
The AEP also listed the top issues for Latino voters:
- Cost of living / inflation (52%)
- Jobs and economy (36%)
- Housing costs and affordability (27%)
- Health care costs (25%)
- Abortion and reproductive rights (23%)
In addition, the AEP provided breakdowns of several Latino subgroups. Here is what it shared:
- Latino National (Harris +24)
- Democrat (Harris +88)
- Women 40-59 (Harris +39)
- Central American (Harris +40)
- Women 18-39 (Harris +35)
- Puerto Rican (Harris +30)
- Bilingual Households (Harris +29)
- Mexican (Harris +27)
- Men 60+ (Harris +25)
- Spanish Households (Harris +25)
- Women 60+ (Harris +24)
- Men 40-59 (Harris +20)
- Dominican (Harris +19)
- English Households (Harris +17)
- South American (Harris +14)
- Independent (Harris +17)
- Men 18-39 (Harris +4)
- Cuban (Trump +9)
- Republican (Trump +87)
The findings of this poll were shared on a Wednesday afternoon press call, after an Election Day call was postponed so the “team can review the final election numbers at the county and precinct level.”
The video of the full press call is here.
An interactive version of the poll is here.
These are the breakdowns of respondents:
- N=500 per: Florida
- N=400 per: Pennsylvania, other states
- N=300 per: Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas, California
- N=200 per: Michigan, Wisconsin
- N=790 per: Puerto Rican voters
The margin of error was +/-1.62%, and the survey was available in English and Spanish, according to respondent preference. It was a mixed-mode format: 75% online and 25% live telephone interviews,
This poll was conducted by BSP Research, whose co-founder was a pollster for the Harris campaign, and the African American Research Collaborative.
It was sponsored by SEIU, UnidosUS, First Nations Development Institute, Climate Power, Indivisible, Rural Organizing, Voter Participation Center, America’s Voice, and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Originally published in The Latino Newsletter–reprinted with permission.
Opinion for The Latino Newsletter.
For Latino voters, this election was always about how inflation impacted their everyday lives and economic choices. In polls going back to 2021 and leading up to the 2022 midterm election, Latino voters consistently indicated that the economy was their number one issue, which continues to be so. This election's Latino voter preferences shouldn't have come as a surprise. Historically, presidents who oversaw periods of high inflation often faced challenges in subsequent elections.
Let's remember that Donald Trump did not win the Latino vote. Still, the percentage gains were significant enough to panic Democratic strategists, who viewed this as a moment of reckoning. Undoubtedly, this election marked a pivotal moment in how campaigns reach out to the Latino community.
Moving forward, Democrats can no longer take the Latino vote as a given, and this presents an opportunity for accountability to both parties.
For Democrats, it’s about accountability for their lack of investment in Latino voters. For Trump, it’s about accountability for delivering on economic promises and ensuring Latinos have a seat at the table.
The mission for the nonprofit I lead, Latino Prosperity, is to guarantee that Latinos and Latinas are represented in key government roles that shape economic policy—and, in turn, the economic futures of our community.
With this in mind, I can state the following with certainty: Bidenomics didn't connect with Latino voters.
The Biden/Harris administration made historic investments in the American economy. The administration passed the American Rescue Plan, which invested $1.9 trillion into economic stimulus to help prevent a recession from the pandemic. They also passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which led to necessary investments in the green economy. The stock market surged forward, unemployment was near a 50-year low, and Biden’s economic policies created over 13 million jobs. Nearly 800,000 jobs were in manufacturing, which helped working-class families and communities.
As the voting numbers demonstrated, the Latino community, and many others, didn't embrace the Democratic Party's economic message. The reasons for that may vary, but it ultimately boiled down to inflation and the high cost of essential goods like milk, bread, meats, eggs, and other commodities like housing, insurance, and healthcare.
The Democratic messaging assumed that Latinos would identify with overarching job growth statistics or long-term infrastructure investments.
They didn't.
These policies and messaging could not have an impact on their everyday lives. All that Latinos could see was a reduction in their purchasing power and the “American Dream” slipping away.
A pre-election UnidosUS poll identified the top issues (in order) for the Latino electorate: inflation and the rising cost of living, jobs and the economy, lack of affordable housing and high rents, healthcare, immigration, and border security.
The one issue missing, though, that needs to be listed but captures all is achieving the American Dream. Achieving it is significant for first-generation immigrant families. Homeownership is the most iconic representation of having made it in America. With inflation pinching every penny out of their wallet, Latino working-class families feel further away from achieving homeownership than ever before. Latinos aren't giving up on the American Dream, so they looked for other options.
Bidenomics policies were necessary long-term investments that will be noticeable in years to come, but they have yet to translate into immediate solutions for working-class households. The Democratic message focused too much on other topics like democracy and reproductive rights. Those are important topics too, but it's easier to think of something else if you worry about renting the following month and covering your bills.
The bottom line is that perception of Biden’s policy achievements did not align with the financial realities of working-class families. Meanwhile, Harris struggled to clearly convey how her approach would differ from Biden’s.
Latino voters sent a powerful message: their economic struggles and aspirations are their priority. Navigating a post-COVID economy has been challenging for Latino families, and leaders in both parties must recognize that this was a call to action. Democrats have to realize that their message did not connect with the majority of Americans and nearly half of the Latino community.
Let's be clear: this doesn't mean that Trump did a great job of reaching out to Latinos. He didn't. However, history will prove that this election marked when Latinos made it clear that campaigns must work hard to earn their vote.
