Democrats are merging to an ‘anti-Latino party’: Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Jr.
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Jr. on how the Latino community and their votes will impact the midterm elections on ‘Fox & Friends Weekend.’
Boosted by the Hispanic vote, Florida finished its gradual slide to the right, falling firmly into the grasp of a new conservative constituency in November 2022. Across the country, exit polls indicated the Hispanic midterm vote shifted by 10 points toward conservative candidates, and the liberal vote dropped by 5 points, profoundly affecting election outcomes.
Politicians and pollsters are now chasing the largest ethnic/racial minority group in the country. If Hispanics control the vote, do we also own the future? I think so.
Until the 2010 census, Hispanics were not even accurately counted as a separate group. Now, both major political parties heavily pursue this vote, breaking records in advertising spending.
Both major political parties heavily pursue the Hispanic vote, breaking records in advertising spending. (Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Nowhere was the Hispanic midterm vote more potent than Miami-Dade County, one of the largest Hispanic population centers in the country, second only to Harris County, home to Houston, Texas.
HISPANIC MIDTERM VOTERS WATCH AS DEMOCRAT PARTY BECOMES ANTI-LATINO PARTY
What makes Hispanics so influential? For one thing, we are the fastest-growing population in the nation, growing by 50% between 2010 and 2020. For another, we hold traditional values, honoring God, family, religion, country, industry and education.
By 2060, the Hispanic population is projected to be roughly 27.5% of the total population, with non-Hispanic Whites making up 44.3%. In raw numbers, that’s 179 million non-Hispanic Whites and 111 million Hispanics, up from roughly 62 million today. That’s a lot of votes.
Leading into the midterm elections, politicians and pundits believed Hispanics were "persuadable." While it’s true that we don’t stick closely within party lines, we do stick to our socially conservative values. These are neither persuadable nor negotiable.
In short, we want to provide for our children, take them to the doctor when they are sick, send them to good schools, and know they are safe when they leave the house. These values translate into our top concerns for the midterms: the economy, health care, education and violent crime.
What was not as big of an issue was our over-analyzed views on immigration. Only 21% of Hispanic voters made immigration their top concern. Among Hispanic voters, the vast majority, 57%, say the government is doing too little to solve immigration.
Among Hispanic voters, the vast majority, 57%, say the government is doing too little to solve immigration. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia, File)
Far more important to us is the economy, which means fair employment opportunities, including a system for employing legal workers. By a large margin, we favor employment verification. For all the same reasons, we are not opposed to voter verification. We don’t need ballots mailed to us. We know how to get ballots, where to find proper identification, and what a driver’s license is. To say otherwise is just insulting.
What will the future look like as Hispanics continue to gain influence? It will be a future that embraces all these values, which align with traditional American values.
We believe in education. Today, Hispanics make up 28% of public school students. Our high school dropout rates are sharply declining while our higher education enrollment rate continues to climb.
Hispanics make up 28% of public school students. (Reuters)
In the future, we will continue to become more vocal in the education system. As we do, we will demand that our children receive an education that doesn’t conflict with the values we exercise in our homes.
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Much of our value system stems from our respect for family, which is the core of our society and influences our significantly pro-life stance.
Our religious life is essential. Many of us descended from people whose entire social life revolved around the local church. We favor freedom of speech and religion and the right to raise our children according to our religious preferences. We do not tolerate outsiders dictating to us our religious views or how we should train our children.
With this in mind, we notice voters ages 21 and under outnumber every ethnic group tabulated. In that demographic, Whites are a minority, albeit the largest minority. Beginning in the 2024 elections, the second greatest number of voters will be Hispanic entrepreneurs, young professionals and parents.
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This trend is not an anomaly but normalcy. We will continue to be the second-largest minority group in the U.S. until we become the majority between 2070 and 2100.
What will happen when Hispanic voters control the vote? We will value education, economic growth, opportunities for our children, family, faith, life and liberty. We will not change, but everything could change for the nation.