By Jennifer Medina
Walter Mendoza, 30, felt frustration towards his mother, Ana, as they entered Supremo Foods in Allentown, Pennsylvania, last week.
They had to limit their shopping list, Walter Mendoza expressed, directing his anger at President Joe Biden: “Because your president has caused these prices to rise so high!” he exclaimed to his mother.
“Because your president really messed up,” Ana Mendoza, a 52-year-old warehouse supervisor, retorted to her son, who supports Trump. “Inflation followed the pandemic that he mishandled, bro.”
Debates surrounding prices and political leaders are happening all over the United States, but the argument between the Mendozas carries significant implications.
The 2024 election marks a pivotal moment for approximately 36 million eligible Latino voters in the nation — a demographic that is now substantial, widely distributed, and politically fragmented, making it vital for determining the outcome of the presidential election.
Following years of Democratic leadership, Donald Trump is gaining traction among these voters. This momentum poses a challenge to Vice President Kamala Harris’ pathway to success, not only in the key battlegrounds of the Southwest but also in states like Georgia and Pennsylvania, where even smaller Latino populations could significantly influence a tight contest.
In the campaign’s concluding days, Democrats have crafted a final message they believe will halt the decline in support. After months of emphasizing economic concerns, they seized on a Trump ally’s derogatory remark labeling Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage” during a Madison Square Garden rally.
Democrats anticipate that this renewed emphasis on ethnic identity will galvanize Latino voters who might have been leaning towards Trump or mulling over abstaining from voting altogether. They have produced advertisements reiterating these comments and enlisted a host of celebrity supporters to emphasize the risks involved.
“They are so afraid of your power,” playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda urged a group of young Latino Harris supporters in Philadelphia last week. “Harness that power for yourself if you don’t want that future for your country.”
The urgency of this message is perhaps most pronounced in Pennsylvania, where the race is extremely close and Latinos constitute over 5% of the electorate. A series of industrial cities with increasing Latino populations—such as Allentown, Hazleton, and Reading—have become central to campaigning efforts. Trump rallied supporters in Allentown, which has a significant Puerto Rican demographic, last week, and Harris is scheduled to hold her own rally there on Monday.
Discussions with over three dozen Latino voters throughout eastern Pennsylvania revealed a community that is both engaged and sharply divided. Some perceive Trump’s anti-immigrant language as a direct threat to their community and reject it, while others embrace him, believing he would secure their safety in America.
The population of Latino voters in Pennsylvania has almost tripled in the last twenty years. This increase reflects a national trend; over 30% of Latinos intending to vote this year will be first-timers.
For several months, national polls have indicated a decline in support for Democrats—hitting a particularly low point this past summer while Biden was still the nominee. Following Harris’s entry into the race, support among Latinos did recover, but not to the levels Biden enjoyed four years prior, and significantly lower than former President Barack Obama’s benchmarks.
In mid-October, a New York Times/Siena College poll showed Harris capturing 56% of Latino voters, down from Biden’s approximately 62% in 2020. Trump garnered 37%, remaining steady compared to four years ago.
A slight decrease in backing from Hispanic voters may not be catastrophic for Harris if she retains equal levels of support from other demographic segments. However, should she lose backing from younger or Black voters, it’s improbable she will secure the presidency. Both campaigns have recognized they can no longer rely solely on white voter support this year.
Victor Martinez, who runs multiple Spanish radio stations in eastern Pennsylvania and hosts El Relajo de la Mañana from Allentown, stated that his audience has garnered unprecedented attention from Democrats. Martinez, an active Harris supporter, noted that the Trump campaign had ignored his requests for interviews and did not promote on his stations.
Last week, Martinez mentioned that following the Madison Square Garden rally, several listeners called in expressing that they previously “didn’t care” but were now inspired to vote against Trump.
“There’s a sense of pride — you insulted us, and now we’re going to show you,” he said.
This sentiment of anger was evident across social media. Nicky Jam, a Puerto Rican reggaeton artist with 44 million Instagram followers, endorsed Trump in September. However, late last week, he withdrew his support in an Instagram post. While he did not endorse Harris, Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican superstar who has largely stayed away from mainland politics, did so.
The divisions among Latino voters resemble those in the broader electorate — factors such as gender, religion, educational background, and age play significant roles. Like the general population, Latinos regularly identify the economy as their primary concern.
The Trump campaign has dismissed traditional outreach methods aimed at Hispanics—having been greatly outmatched in spending on Spanish-language media—but has fostered relationships with local Latino evangelical leaders, popular hip-hop artists, and social media influencers. The campaign has also opened numerous campaign offices in heavily Latino populated cities nationwide, including Reading.
Although his campaign initially distanced itself from the comedian’s remarks, Trump himself refrained from issuing an apology. Instead, he has boasted of his backing among Hispanic voters.
“Nobody cares for our Latino community and our Puerto Rican community more than I do — nobody,” he stated to the crowd in Allentown, three days after the Madison Square Garden rally.
Multiple polls indicate that Trump enjoys popularity among Latino voters who came to the United States as immigrants, with many Latino voters expressing that they are not deterred by Trump’s anti-immigrant comments or rigid immigration policies, including his proposals for mass deportation.
“If you do things legally, if you follow the rules, you’ll be alright,” affirmed Normando Santos, a Trump supporter who immigrated from Mexico to Hazelton over twenty years ago. “I’m not worried.”
The Times/Siena poll revealed that about 40% of Hispanic voters indicated they do not take the former president seriously when he speaks. Half of Hispanic men believe that people place too much importance on his comments.
While arguing with his mother again last week, Walter Mendoza expressed disbelief when he heard Trump and other Republicans make inflammatory statements about immigrants, such as the accusation that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were consuming pets.
At times, he finds their arguments have merit.
“The undocumented have more benefits than our veterans in this country,” he stated to his mother. “Our veterans are homeless, but the undocumented have shelter, food in their homes, and take whatever they desire.”
Ana Mendoza interjected: “Well, your father is a prime example of someone who came that way, without documents.”
Her son interrupted her: “That was 30 years ago.”
Like many of his peers, Walter Mendoza plans to vote for Trump on Tuesday. His mother intends to vote for Harris.
“I can’t comprehend how I raised this boy — he fails to perceive reality as it is,” she remarked. It was a familiar conclusion to their disputes.
