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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Hispanic voters favored Trump over Democrats on economy – now that’s changed, poll finds

Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is embraced by U.S. President Joe Biden during a campaign event at IBEW Local Union #5 on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/TNS)  (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America/TNS)
Brendan Rascius Miami Herald

Among Hispanic voters, Vice President Kamala Harris is now tied with former President Donald Trump on one key issue: the economy, according to new polling.

In the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, 39% of Hispanic voters said they favored Harris’ economic approach, while 39% said the same for Trump.

These figures are a welcome development for Democrats, who were bleeding support with Hispanics — a large and rapidly growing demographic — when President Joe Biden was at the top of the ticket.

A May Reuters/Ipsos poll — taken two months before Biden stepped aside — found he was down four points against Trump among Hispanic voters on the economy.

In the latest poll, Trump still maintains a sizable lead on the economy among registered voters overall, with 45% favorability versus Harris’ 36%.

The poll, conducted between Aug. 21 and 28, sampled 3,562 registered voters, including 412 Hispanic voters. It has a margin of error of around two percentage points overall and four percentage points for Hispanics.

Other key findings

Overall, the poll — taken just 10 weeks before Election Day — found Harris has a 13-point lead over Trump among Hispanics.

It also found that Hispanic voters share the same top four issues as the country at large: the economy, immigration, healthcare and climate change.

While Harris and Trump are tied on the economy, Harris has a large leg up over Trump on two of the three other issues.

On healthcare, 46% of Hispanic voters said they favored Harris’ approach, while 29% said the same for Trump, marking a 17-point difference.

Similarly, on climate change, 46% of Hispanic voters said they preferred Harris’ approach, while 23% said they preferred Trump’s approach, marking a 23-point difference.

Trump, however, eclipsed Harris on immigration — an issue that has been central to his three presidential campaigns.

Forty-two percent of Hispanic voters said they preferred Trump’s approach to immigration, while 37% said the same for Harris.

This lead is smaller than his 10-point lead on immigration among registered voters, according to the poll.

The poll comes as the candidates enter the final stretch of the presidential race, which could be determined by a handful of swing states.