Democrats believe they have an opening to reclaim Latino voters that fled the party last year — but a prominent Latino-focused group argued the party needs to present a message that’s more than just anti-Donald Trump.

Trump’s approval among Latino voters has tapped new lows, continuing a months-long plunge in support among the voting bloc Republicans are relying on to sustain their strongholds in the midterms, according to polling sponsored by Latino voter group Somos Votantes and its affiliated PAC that was shared first with POLITICO.

Trump’s personal favorability is underwater by 26 points among Latino voters, according to a survey conducted by GSG. The drop continues a sustained slump among the demographic that has only worsened since the beginning of the year, and sank another 6 points since September.

But the new polling offers an equally grim outlook on Trump’s handling of the economy — an issue the administration has touted as one of their top achievements and a ballot issue both sides of the aisle have identified as a main decider in top races. Trump is underwater by 30 points on the issue, dipping from 38 percent approval in May to 34 percent in November.

“The reality is that Donald Trump promised to slash prices on day one,” said Melissa Morales, Somos’ president. “That was something that he repeated over and over and that he certainly hasn’t delivered on. What we need to see as we move into next year is that Latino voters are looking for a positive economic vision to believe in. The side that can deliver that in a real way will win over Latino voters.”

Latino voters who swung toward Trump in 2024 rebounded back toward Democrats in this cycle’s off-year races, with the Democratic candidates in both New Jersey and Virginia winning heavily Latino areas. Democrats have heralded these wins as a sign that their messaging on affordability offers the party a chance to harness Latino voters back to the party base, a takeaway Morales said the survey reaffirms.

“The Democratic message can’t just be anti-Trump,” she said. “It has to be providing Latino voters with a positive economic vision for the future and giving them something to believe in.”

“That’s the sort of vision that Latino voters are looking for right now, and that if Democrats want to win Latino voters back over, that they will have to provide,” she added.

Republicans have largely dismissed the party’s recent struggles with Latinos, saying the GOP will bounce back by the midterms. They point to their inroads with Latino voters in recent cycles, noting Trump’s historic gains in 2024 as well as a string of wins in some majority-Latino congressional districts.

“Democrats have ignored Hispanic communities over the past nine years while millions of working families rejected their radical, socialist agenda,” Christian Martinez, the National Republican Congressional Committee’s national Hispanic press secretary, told POLITICO last week. “Republicans will continue to earn the support of Hispanic voters because we are working to deliver opportunity, security, and a better life.”

A majority of Latino voters in the Somos poll overwhelmingly reported extreme concern with the rising cost of living at 64 percent. The polling suggested that Democrats could capitalize on this concern, with Latinos largely holding Republicans responsible for the state of the economy: 45 percent say they blame the GOP for the rising cost of living, compared to 24 percent who blamed Democrats.

“Latino voters are genuinely worried about making sure that they make ends meet,” said pollster Rosa Mendoza. “And I think Republicans having that be one of their core messages as they were heading into the election in 2024, and yet being very much on the back burner — it’s not helping them.”

Global Strategy Group conducted the national poll of 800 Latino registered voters from Nov. 4 to 12. It has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.5 percentage points.

A version of this article first appeared in POLITICO Pro’s Morning Score. Want to receive the newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories.

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