Facts and Figures: Latino Voters

Facts and Figures: Latino Voters

A Growing Voter Bloc

* By 2050, the Census Bureau estimates that Hispanics will comprise nearly 25% of the U.S. population.

* In nine states, the Hispanic share of the electorate is approximately 10% or greater.

* The number of Hispanic voters is greatest in New Mexico, where an estimated 37% of the electorate was Hispanic in 2006.

Sources

Census Bureau: U.S. Interim Projections by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin

New Democratic Network: Hispanics Rising, September 2007

Latinos' Shifting Political Party Affiliations

Latinos Move Back to the Democratic Party
% of registered voters saying they identify with or lean to a party

Source: Pew Hispanic Center

* In 2004, George W. Bush won 40% of the Hispanic vote, a record for a Republican candidate.

* In 2006, 30% of Hispanics voted for Republican candidates.

* In 2007, 57% of Hispanic registered voters said they align with the Democratic Party.

* In 2007, 23% of Hispanic registered voters said they align with the Republican Party.

* Hispanics favor Democrats over Republicans more than in 2004, but not as much as they did in 1999 (when they favored Democrats to Republicans 55% to 7%).

Source: Pew Hispanic Center: Hispanics and the 2008 Election: A Swing Vote?, December 2007

Religion and Party Preference

* Evangelical Latinos are twice as likely (36%) as those who are Catholic (18%) to identify with the Republican Party.

* Catholic Latinos are much more likely than Latino evangelicals to identify with the Democratic Party.

* Among Hispanic eligible voters who are evangelical, 37% say they consider themselves Republican and 32% say Democrat.

* Cubans are the only Latino group where the Republican Party does significantly better among eligible voters than the Democratic Party (49% vs. 24%).

* Dominicans (50%) and Puerto Ricans (48%) are the most heavily Democratic followed by Mexicans (43%).

Source: Pew Hispanic Center: Changing Faiths: Latinos and the Transformation of American Religion, April 2007

Top Issues for Latino Voters in 2008

* 94% of registered Latino voters rate education as either extremely important or very important.

* Other issues rated highly by Latinos are: care (91%), the economy and jobs (91%), crime (84%), immigration (79%), and the war in Iraq (70%).

Source: Pew Hispanic Center: Hispanics and the 2008 Election: A Swing Vote?, December 2007

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/402/latino-voters.html