Latino voters key to Democratic hopes in Texas

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas - In the Rio Grande Valley at the southernmost tip of Texas, cowboy boots stomp along to Tejano music in this heavily Latino region, where voters could deliver on Democrats’ hopes of winning their first statewide race in more than 30 years.After supporting President Donald Trump in 2024, polls indicate the traditionally Democratic voters here are turning against the Republican leader who has overseen biting inflation and a heavy-handed crackdown on migrants.“I think what happened in the past is that Donald Trump came in and he said things were going to be different, and that we were going to see a lot of prosperity. That hasn’t happened,” said Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa at a rally on Oct 25 in Weslaco that attracted a crowd of 8,000.Meanwhile, Presbyterian seminarian James Talarico is locked in a tight race with Attorney-General Ken Paxton for a US Senate seat – with Democrats looking to flip four nationally to secure control of the chamber.Republicans fear a Democratic “blue wave” in the Nov 3 midterms as voters punish them over inflation stoked by oil prices that have soared since Trump launched his war on Iran eight months ago.Trump has held near-daily rallies across the United States to increase turnout among his base, saying he is the only one who can stave off defeat.He’s made three visits to Texas in the past month as he crisscrossed the country to stump in states traditionally considered solidly Republican.In 2024, Trump won all four counties in the Valley, securing as much as 56% of the vote.However, recent polls indicate growing discontent with his economic management and immigration policies, with raids on migrants leaving many Latinos feeling uneasy.“What I think happened in the previous election years were that a lot of people in the Valley were persuaded by the messaging of the Republican candidates. And they thought it wasn’t going to hurt them,” said 26-year-old Diego Ayala, who owns a landscaping business.“Then these people get into office and then the situations don’t change, don’t get better. The economy’s down, ICE, all that. People are still struggling to afford health care, gas, groceries.”‘Latino surge’Democrats are encouraged by the pace of early voting in Texas: More than 5.1 million people had cast their ballots as of Oct 27, or 26.8% of registered voters, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s office.“The vote that you’re seeing right now, this is the very first time in 10 years where Latinos are surging at the polls here in Texas. You’re already seeing young Latinos coming out more than even their parents in the Rio Grande Valley, they’re already 12,000 votes ahead than the same time just four years ago,” said Maria Teresa Kumar of the non-profit Voto Latino.Trump has been warning of potential voter fraud, announcing a US$1 million (S$1.28 million) reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.Rights groups have said the presence of federal agents at polling stations could intimidate voters, especially Latinos who have been frequent targets in the Trump administration’s immigration raids.“Sometimes we have to be out here, especially in these tumultuous times where people have to show their identification,” said rally attendee Nicolas Hernandez, 39.“You have to be out here to show support for them and show them that we care and that we’re doing everything we can on our part by voting and showing up and supporting these candidates,” he said.Businessman Benny Menendez voted for Trump in 2024 to punish Democratic President Joe Biden, whom he had previously supported.He said he soured on Biden for neglecting the US-Mexico border and putting off needed immigration reform.However, raids by agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have frightened his workers, causing several of his construction projects to fall behind schedule.“We punished the Democrat by voting for the Republican. But the Republicans betrayed us, so now we’re going to punish them too by voting for the Democrats,” he told AFP, speaking in Spanish.“This way, both parties will learn that if they mess with Hispanics and Latinos again, they won’t just lose money – they’ll lose political power.” AFP