A man wearing a "Latinos for America" t-shirt
A man wearing a "Latinos for America" t-shirt Latin Times

Outreach to Latino voters remains a challenge for both parties, a new poll is showing. Results from the 2024 National Latino Voter Tracking Poll, conducted by Entravision, AltaMed, and BSP Research show that only a little over half of respondents (52%) have been contacted by Democrats or Republicans.

The Republican Party, however, seems to have made a move as 47% claimed to have been contacted by the GOP, a 6-point increase from the same poll made a month ago. Democrats, on the flip side, have decreased from 66% to 57%.

Overall, the poll shows Harris continues to hold a lead over Donald Trump among the demographic, with 56% expressing support for Harris and 33% backing Trump. However, Trump's favorability rating has improved, now standing at 40% favorable and 56% unfavorable, narrowing his negative perception. JD Vance also saw a boost in favorability, while Harris and Democratic candidate Tim Walz have seen slight declines in their net favorability ratings.

Young Latino voters show polarization, with distinct differences between men and women in this age group. Among young Latino men (ages 18-29), Trump leads Harris with 53% support, while young Latina women overwhelmingly favor Harris, with 60% backing her trends that have also been reflected in other recent polls.

The issues they prioritize also differ as young men are more focused on economic concerns such as inflation and jobs, whereas young women rank abortion and gun violence as major issues alongside the economy.

The poll also found that Latino voters are paying attention to the candidates. More than half of respondents watched the Vice Presidential debate on October 1, with opinions split on the winner, as 45% favored Walz and 42% preferred Vance. Healthcare emerged as a bipartisan issue, with strong support across party lines for affordable healthcare and Medicare's ability to negotiate drug prices.

Another report by UnidosUS further illustrated the scenario: it revealed that more than half of Latino voters had not been contacted by either the Democratic or Republican parties, a finding that showed a potential oversight but also an opportunity given the more than 17.5 million Latino voters are expected to participate in the upcoming election.