The Pew Hispanic Center issues a report that supports the trend seen in the Latino Decisions poll showing Latinos growing more Democratic, rather than the Gallup poll showing the opposite.
Two-thirds (65%) of Latino registered voters say they plan to support the Democratic candidate in their local congressional district, while just 22% support the Republican candidate, according to a nationwide survey of Latinos. If this pro-Democratic margin holds up on Election Day next month, it would be about as wide as in 2008, when Latinos supported Barack Obama for president over John McCain by 67% to 31%.
Pew adds that "more than six-in-ten (62%) Latino registered voters say they identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, while one-quarter (25%) say the same for the Republican Party -- a Democratic advantage of 37 percentage points." The results aren't all roses for Democrats, however -- Latinos may be more pro-Democratic, but they're also not very eager to vote.
However, Hispanic registered voters appear to be less motivated than other voters to go to the polls. Just one-third (32%) of all Latino registered voters say they have given this year's election "quite a lot" of thought. In contrast, half (50%) of all registered voters say the same. And when it comes to their intent to vote, half (51%) of Latino registered voters say they are absolutely certain they will vote in this year's midterm election, while seven-in-ten (70%) of all registered voters say the same.
Pew doesn't take a position on whether that lack of motivation has anything to do with Democrats' failure to pass immigration legislation, although that Gallup poll showing a severe drop in Latinos planning to vote for Democrats is looking more and more like an outlier. Education, jobs, and health care rank as the top three issues for registered Latino voters, with immigration coming in fifth -- right after the deficit.
