Texas Hispanic voters could play a decisive role in closely fought Senate, gubernatorial and House races, with Democrats seeing signs that the group may shift away from President Trump after his gains two years ago.
More than 30% of Texas’s eligible electorate is Hispanic. Democrats are pointing to frustration over the economy and immigration enforcement, alongside Mr Trump’s falling approval ratings, as evidence of a possible change in mood.
The Senate contest between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton is being described as tight, while Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s re-election bid against Democrat Gina Hinojosa could also be closely contested.
Chuck Rocha, a Democratic strategist and CBS News political contributor who advises both the Talarico and Hinojosa campaigns, said: “There’s a Hispanic hurricane coming. We just don’t know quite yet if it’s going to be Category 2 or Category 5, but it’s washing ashore right in front of the GOP, and they don’t know what to do about it.”
Republicans, however, argue that enthusiasm for the Democrats remains limited. Daniel Garza, president of the conservative LIBRE Initiative, said: “I think most voters couldn’t tell you what the Democrat plan is for bringing down prices.”
Immigration enforcement has emerged as a concern in a competitive House race in South Texas, where both candidates have raised objections to the Trump administration’s tactics.
Democratic candidate Bobby Pulido, a Tejano music star, said there was “chaos in the streets” because of “aggressive ICE enforcement”.
Republican incumbent Monica De La Cruz predicted that Texas would remain red, but said the concerns should serve as “a wake-up call for Republicans to remain focused on affordability, and to come to a solution when it comes to immigration”.
