Support from Hispanic voters and its impact on the presidential election

Wednesday, November 6, 2024 5:33PM ET
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Analysts are still going over the facts and figures of the presidential election, but one thing is becoming clear: the impact of Hispanic and Latino voters.

President-elect Trump's support among that group grew significantly, especially among Latino men.

Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber President and CEO Jennifer Rodriguez was part of the push to get out the vote, but she says it would be a mistake to assume the Hispanic vote belongs to one particular party.

'We've been saying for years Latinos are not a monolith and it is a very nuanced community," said Rodriguez.

A lot of times, political choices come down to culture, according to Drexel Emeritus Professor of Politics Bill Rosenburg, PhD, noting the cultural nuances of one segment of the Latino population.



"Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania recognize that they have some long-standing traditions," he said. "They tend to be Catholic and that means that they're going to be pro-life."

There was also a growth in support for Trump among Latino men. One analysis from Edison Research shows that of the entire country, Trump got 36% of the male Latino vote in 2020 against Joe Biden; however, he got 54% of the vote in 2024 against Kamala Harris.

"Gender, clearly in this election, played a role," said Rodriguez.

"(Some Hispanic men) thinking they are not going to vote for a female candidate," said Rosenberg.

Among the battleground states, Harris got the most Latino support in Pennsylvania, according to the American Electorate Voter Poll.



Exit polls showed that Harris got 72% of the Hispanic vote in the state, which is the highest of any battleground state.

The 6abc Data Team found Trump had a smaller percentage of votes among Hispanics in counties that had a higher Hispanic population. For example, in Lehigh County where 25% of the voting-age population is Hispanic, Trump had 48% of the vote.

On the contrary, in Fulton County where less than 1% of the voting-age population is Hispanic, Trump had 86% of the vote.

"The community is growing. It's becoming much more diverse. With diversity comes a range of opinions," said Rodriguez.

In the future, it could put an even bigger political focus on Pennsylvania and its Hispanic population.



"Candidates are going to have to decide how they'll approach this going forward," said Rosenberg.

Trump got 20% of the vote in Philadelphia County, where 15% of the voting-age population is Hispanic.
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