More Latino voters will turn out to vote in swing states after Puerto Rico was called “a floating island of garbage” at Donald Trump‘s Madison Square Garden rally, a Latino community organization has said.
The former President is currently reeling from the backlash of comedian Tony Hinchcliffe branding Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” and said Latinos love “making babies” on Sunday. Trump senior adviser Danielle Alvarez told Newsweek that the “joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
“I’m outraged that these kinds of comments are still being directed at the Latino community,” said Ana Valdez, the CEO of the Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC), a nonprofit that focuses on reshaping the perception of Latinos in the United States.
She told Newsweek: “Comments like these motivate us. Latinos aren’t a group to be underestimated, especially when it comes to our impact at the ballot box.
“We expect this weekend’s comments to drive even more turnout in Latino-heavy states like Arizona, Nevada, and Florida.”
Newsweek has contacted Trump’s team via email to get a response to this. Newsweek has contacted both the Democratic and Republican parties via email and online form respectively, for comment.
Latino voters could be decisive in five out of seven swing states, LDC researchers said in their 2024 Latino voter report.
“This is evidenced by the significant Latino presence in states like Arizona and Nevada, where Latino registered voters make up 27 percent and 21 percent of the electorate, respectively,” they wrote.
Between 2020 and 2023, the Latino population in swing states (Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan) grew between 6 percent and 11 percent, according to LDC figures.
These states have the power to determine who is given a seat at the White House this year and, so far, the polls are showing an extremely tight race.
File photo of a man passing signage at a voting site in San Antonio, on Feb. 18, 2020. A Latino organization said the “garbage” comments made about Puerto Rico will drive a bigger Latino voter turnout in swing states.
AP
“Historically, both the Democratic and Republican parties have used the fact that Latino populations are concentrated in ‘noncompetitive’ states as a reason for their lack of investment in Latino-focused outreach efforts,” the LDC said.
It argued that California illustrated how important Latino voters are, citing a book called Latino America: How America’s Most Dynamic Population Is Poised to Transform the Politics of the Nation, written by political scientists Matt A. Barreto and Gary M. Segura.
This book, published in 2014, argued that California’s Latino population was responsible for it not being a swing state.
Indeed, California was once considered a red state, between 1952 and 1988, with the only Democratic candidate to take the state during that period being Lyndon B. Johnson.
Many attribute California’s flip from red to blue to the 1994 passing of Proposition 187, a ballot that aimed to restrict undocumented migrants’ access to public services.
The measure was ruled unconstitutional in 1999 but its impact was lasting. For example, after 1994, Hispanic voter registration significantly favored the Democrats, according to The Cato Institute.
The libertarian think tank cited a 2016 University of California paper, written by political scientist Hovannes Abramyan.
“Hispanics are more conservative and moderate in most of their political opinions than their overwhelming self-identification as Democrats would predict,” Cate Institute researchers wrote in a summary of the study.
They said: “Hispanics are more Democratic because they view that party as more supportive of liberalized immigration while the Republican Party is viewed as opposing such a policy.
“This means that if the GOP is to make inroads into Hispanic voters, they will need to do so by softening their stance on immigration.”
Valdez told Newsweek: “Every year, roughly 1.4 million Latinos become eligible to vote. Why alienate families that are so deeply woven into the fabric of this nation and represent such a vital voting demographic?”
She went on: “Politicians have underestimated the Latino electorate for years, operating on outdated assumptions, and this goes for both parties. Democrats often think they can rely on a majority of the Latino vote, while Republicans focus narrowly on conservative niches.
“This misses the reality that Latinos are a diverse group with values aligned around family, hard work, and community. Our research indicates concretely that Latinos are the nation’s fastest-growing voting bloc. We have been a massive blind spot for campaigns.”
