US election campaigns shift strategies as Latino voter allegiances change

Latinos have long been considered Democratic supporters, but the demographic has been shifting to the right.

New York City, the US – In Queens, 26-year-old Claudia, a first-generation college-educated Latina born in the United States, sat at her family’s dinner table engaging in heated political debates that switched seamlessly between English and Spanish. She and her immigrant parents from Mexico and El Salvador clashed over the future of the country they all call home.

“It’s not about loving [Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala] Harris,” Claudia said, disappointed with the administration’s handling of Israel’s war on Gaza and immigration, but committed to voting against Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump’s return.

Her parents, US citizens for more than a decade, feel differently. They worry about their economic security – like 52 percent of Latinos, according to a June survey. And they support Trump for his economic policies and in frustration at the inflation the US has experienced in the last few years.

Their resentment is directed towards the support of President Joe Biden’s administration for “new immigrants arriving with benefits, a hotel, and a pathway to documents”, while their own relatives remain undocumented – a population that Trump has threatened to deport.

This generational divide within one family – part of one of the fastest-growing demographics in the US, with 36.2 million eligible voters making up 14.7 percent of the electorate – illustrates the challenges both parties face in appealing to a group that resists simple categorisations.