With just over a year to go until the 2022 elections, in which the color of Congress will be defined for the remainder of President Joe Biden’s term, the issues that most concern Latinos are the economy and the pandemic, although the climate is present with an element that can mark the Hispanic vote.
According to a survey by the progressive and environmental organization Climate Power, the issues that most focus the attention of Latinos are solutions for jobs and the economy (32%), the increase in the cost of living (22%), and the coronavirus pandemic (32%).
A total of 1,700 Latino voters were surveyed between October 9 and 18 in four key states where Latinos will have a strong electoral impact (Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Nevada) along with key congressional districts in California and Texas.
The survey focused primarily on issues related to climate and the environment for Latinos, and the results indicate that a clean and fairer economy and climate change are important issues for Hispanics, Climate Power said in a statement.
Thus, 66% of those interviewed said they were paying attention to the news about extreme temperatures, forest fires, droughts, and hurricanes, and 79% believe that these problems are getting worse every year.
For 55% of Latinos, opposition to legislation that addresses climate change is a “deciding factor” for them at the polls, wherein 2020 Hispanics had a record turnout and were vital to the triumph of now President Biden in several key states.
87% of Latinos support legislation that creates jobs in the solar or wind energy sectors and 86% were in favor of a legislative package that provides tax incentives to make clean energy sources available at lower costs.
And on this issue, says Climate Power, Democrats can gain an advantage at the polls, as they have a great advantage over Republicans when Latinos are asked which party is better to create better jobs in the field of clean energy.
In Nevada, the Democratic advantage was 52 points, while in Arizona and Colorado it was 34 and 35 points respectively, a distance that is reduced to 24 points in Florida.
“Our results show that addressing economic issues while tackling the pandemic and climate change would strongly help Democrats reach out to Latinos,” said Climate Power.
