Politics
Dems look to capitalize on Trump’s weakening with Latinos
Democrats believe they have an opening to reclaim Latino voters that fled the party last year — but a prominent Latino-focused group argued the party needs to present a message that’s more than just anti-Donald Trump.
Trump’s approval among Latino voters has tapped new lows, continuing a months-long plunge in support among the voting bloc Republicans are relying on to sustain their strongholds in the midterms, according to polling sponsored by Latino voter group Somos Votantes and its affiliated PAC that was shared first with Blue Light News.
Trump’s personal favorability is underwater by 26 points among Latino voters, according to a survey conducted by GSG. The drop continues a sustained slump among the demographic that has only worsened since the beginning of the year, and sank another 6 points since September.
But the new polling offers an equally grim outlook on Trump’s handling of the economy — an issue the administration has touted as one of their top achievements and a ballot issue both sides of the aisle have identified as a main decider in top races. Trump is underwater by 30 points on the issue, dipping from 38 percent approval in May to 34 percent in November.
“The reality is that Donald Trump promised to slash prices on day one,” said Melissa Morales, Somos’ president. “That was something that he repeated over and over and that he certainly hasn’t delivered on. What we need to see as we move into next year is that Latino voters are looking for a positive economic vision to believe in. The side that can deliver that in a real way will win over Latino voters.”
Latino voters who swung toward Trump in 2024 rebounded back toward Democrats in this cycle’s off-year races, with the Democratic candidates in both New Jersey and Virginia winning heavily Latino areas. Democrats have heralded these wins as a sign that their messaging on affordability offers the party a chance to harness Latino voters back to the party base, a takeaway Morales said the survey reaffirms.
“The Democratic message can’t just be anti-Trump,” she said. “It has to be providing Latino voters with a positive economic vision for the future and giving them something to believe in.”
“That’s the sort of vision that Latino voters are looking for right now, and that if Democrats want to win Latino voters back over, that they will have to provide,” she added.
Republicans have largely dismissed the party’s recent struggles with Latinos, saying the GOP will bounce back by the midterms. They point to their inroads with Latino voters in recent cycles, noting Trump’s historic gains in 2024 as well as a string of wins in some majority-Latino congressional districts.
“Democrats have ignored Hispanic communities over the past nine years while millions of working families rejected their radical, socialist agenda,” Christian Martinez, the National Republican Congressional Committee’s national Hispanic press secretary, told POLITICO last week. “Republicans will continue to earn the support of Hispanic voters because we are working to deliver opportunity, security, and a better life.”
A majority of Latino voters in the Somos poll overwhelmingly reported extreme concern with the rising cost of living at 64 percent. The polling suggested that Democrats could capitalize on this concern, with Latinos largely holding Republicans responsible for the state of the economy: 45 percent say they blame the GOP for the rising cost of living, compared to 24 percent who blamed Democrats.
“Latino voters are genuinely worried about making sure that they make ends meet,” said pollster Rosa Mendoza. “And I think Republicans having that be one of their core messages as they were heading into the election in 2024, and yet being very much on the back burner — it’s not helping them.”
Global Strategy Group conducted the national poll of 800 Latino registered voters from Nov. 4 to 12. It has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.5 percentage points.
A version of this article first appeared in Blue Light News Pro’s Morning Score. Want to receive the newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to Blue Light News Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Monday that a man with the same nameand party affiliation as Alaska Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan is qualified to run for the seat and ordered elections officials to place him on the August primary ballot.
The ruling came hours after the court heard arguments and just days after state court Judge Thomas Matthews found the Division of Elections had “abused its discretion”in booting the challenger Sullivan from the ballot. The Supreme Court, in a brief ruling, affirmed Matthews’ decision to include the challenger on the ballot but sent back to the division the issue of how he should be listed as a candidate “within the confines of existing Alaska ballot design law.”
The court said a full opinion explaining its decision would be released later.
Jeffrey Robinson, an attorney for the challenger Sullivan, expressed gratitude for the ruling and said he expected the division “will act in full compliance” with ballot design law in preparing the ballots. Sam Curtis, a spokesperson for the state Department of Law, said the state appreciated the quick ruling “and will work to implement the order.”
Nate Adams, a spokesperson for Sen. Sullivan’s campaign, said while disappointed by the ruling, the campaign is encouraged that Beecher “will be able to use her expertise to differentiate between the Petersburg fraud and the incumbent — Senator Dan Sullivan — to the benefit of Alaska voters.”
Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher issued a decision June 15 finding the challenger’s candidacy was not filed in good faith and instead was done with an intent to confuse voters. But Matthews said Beecher’s decision was not based on the requirements set out by the U.S. Constitution to serve in the Senate — which address age, citizenship and residency — or on state laws or regulations.
Alaska’s US Senate race could help determine control of chamber
The dust-up over the two Dan Sullivans began with the challenger filing his candidacy about a month ago and has roiled one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country. Alaska’s race is one of about a half dozen Senate contests that are considered competitive and could determine control of the chamber for President Donald Trump’s final two years in office.
The candidate filing prompted accusations by the senator and his alliesincluding the National Republican Senatorial Committee, that the challenger is a sham candidate intent on sowing chaos. Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, who oversees elections, responded by announcing an investigation into the challenger’s candidacy.
Two complaints raising questions about his party affiliation and motives were filed by the Alaska Republican Party chair.
The senator also accused the challenger Sullivan of working with Democrats and the campaign of Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola to cause confusion. Peltola’s campaign and state Democrats have denied the allegation, as has the challenger, who said the decision to run was “my choice.”
Peltola is seen as the senator’s main rival in the race, which features more than a dozen candidates.
The top four vote-getters in the primary, regardless of party affiliation, advance to a ranked choice general election in November.
The challenger Sullivan, 69, a retired teacher from the small fishing community of Petersburg, told The Associated Press on Monday he had grown frustrated with the incumbent and thought the timing for a run was right. “I just decided it was something I needed to do,” he said. “I will find out if it was the right thing or not, but I’m going to give it a shot.”
He said he aims to pull votes from the senator, as any challenger would. “But no, I’m not trying to trick people,” he told the AP.
Arguments before the state Supreme Court
Attorneys for the challenger Sullivanin filings before the state Supreme Court, said the elections division disqualified their client “because of what it thought were his reasons for running.” They called the good-faith standard applied by Beecher “legally unsupportable.”
Matthews agreed in his decision Friday to allow Sullivan on the ballot, saying, the elections division determination “was based upon a new, previously unstated, ‘good-faith’ criteria.”
Beecher, in disqualifying the challenger Sullivan, said he had registered to vote as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and in conjunction with his candidacy changed his party affiliation to Republican, an affiliation he did not previously had. She cited similarities between his campaign website and the senator’s, and his work with a consultant whose clients have included some Democrats. She did not mention finding any evidence of coordination.
Attorneys general from 14 Republican-led states submitted a brief supporting the division and asking the state Supreme Court to keep the challenger Sullivan off the ballot.
The division initially certified both Sullivans as candidates, identifying the challenger as Dan J. Sullivan and the incumbent as Dan S. Sullivan.
Debate over ballot design
Attorneys representing the state, in their filings, said using a middle initial on the ballot would not be enough to help voters distinguish between the two Sullivans. They asked the court to uphold Beecher’s finding.
But if the court ordered the challenger Sullivan on the ballot, they proposed he be listed as Daniel James Sullivan Jr. with a nonpartisan party affiliation — arguing the division believed it could deny him being labeled a Republican since he had no prior affiliation with that party before running. The attorneys, led by outside counsel Christopher Murray, proposed in their brief that the senator be listed as Dan Sullivan, registered Republican and incumbent.
Attorneys for the challenger said any proposal to list their client as “nonpartisan” would be unlawful because Alaska law allows him to be listed according to his party preference. It proposed he be listed on the ballot as Dan J. Sullivan, a Republican.
They said the senator could ensure his supporters are aware of his middle initial and that the state’s candidate information pamphlet, which is sent to voters, also could help address any confusion.
At least one outside group supporting the senator has been running ads and sending political mailers referring to him as Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.
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The House Rules Committee on Monday advanced the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a must-pass defense bill, sending it to the floor for consideration. The committee reported out a rule along party lines by a vote of 8-4 that would merge the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act to the NDAA in a special…
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