With just under three weeks remaining until the November 3 U.S. congressional midterm elections, a newly released public opinion survey from the Pew Research Center, one of the United States’ most respected demographic research institutions, paints a clear picture of widespread dissatisfaction among Latino registered voters with former President Donald Trump and his policy agenda. The latest polling data shows that a solid majority — 51% — of Latino voters currently back Democratic Party candidates for the U.S. Congress. By comparison, only 24% of respondents expressed support for Republican congressional hopefuls, 18% remain undecided about their choice, and 7% plan to vote for independent candidates or nominees from smaller third parties.
Most strikingly, three-quarters of all surveyed Latino voters disapprove of Trump’s job performance as president, with only 21% now approving of his work in office. This marks a notable shift from the 2024 presidential election, when Trump secured a record 41% of the national Latino vote for any Republican presidential candidate in modern history. Even among the subset of Latino voters who cast ballots for Trump in 2024, just 57% currently approve of his performance, and 65% of this group plan to stick with the Republican Party in the upcoming midterm legislative contests.
For a clear majority of Latino voters, the midterm election has become a referendum on Trump’s presidency: 55% of respondents described their vote as an act of opposition to the sitting president, while only 14% view their vote as a show of public support for him. Thirty percent of those surveyed said Trump’s presidency has no impact on how they plan to vote next month.
Widespread negative views of Trump’s policy priorities extend beyond his job approval ratings: seven out of 10 Latino voters believe the administration’s policies have actively harmed the Hispanic community, and 61% say living conditions for Latinos across the country have deteriorated over the past 12 months.
When asked to rank issues that will shape their vote, the economy tops the list of priorities for an overwhelming share of Latino voters. Fully 86% of respondents identified the economy as a “very important” issue influencing their vote, placing it even higher than immigration, which 64% of voters marked as a top priority. Other key issues include access to affordable healthcare (cited by 80%), public education (75%), and the future of U.S. democratic institutions (69%).
Digging deeper into economic concerns, the survey finds that persistent inflation and rising costs are weighing heavily on Latino voters: 80% said they are “very concerned” about the rising prices of gasoline, energy, and housing, 78% expressed the same level of worry about the cost of food and everyday consumer goods, and 77% are deeply concerned about the rising cost of medical care.
On the issue of immigration, the survey comes amid a new high for border enforcement activity during Trump’s second term. August saw a record 50,000 immigration arrests at the U.S. southern border, the highest monthly figure of Trump’s current term. A majority of Latino respondents (62%) believe the Trump administration is carrying out “too many” deportations of undocumented immigrants, while 22% said the current level of enforcement is appropriate, and just 14% believe the government is doing “too little” to enforce existing immigration laws.
The Pew Research Center conducted the poll between September 28 and October 4, surveying 774 registered Latino voters via online and telephone outreach in both English and Spanish. The survey carries a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 4.8 percentage points, putting it well within standard bounds for public opinion research.