Latino Workers Feel Price Squeeze as Trump Support Wavers

Chris Martinez, a 28-year-old maintenance technician in Casa Grande, Arizona, returned one vehicle to his lender and switched to a discount grocer after high gas prices strained the economy he expected Donald Trump to improve. Martinez voted for Trump expecting a thriving economy and no wars. He said the United States has spent months in conflict with Iran. “He's doing nothing for us, to benefit us,” Martinez said. “And it kind of sucks because I got duped and I feel like a dummy.”

Costs and class concerns

Martinez said he had “went right for a while, but I'm back to the middle,” and remains unsure whether he’ll vote in the midterms. His account reflects a wider political shift: Latinos helped return Trump to the White House in 2024, but many are now souring on the president and his party. The change could affect control of Congress in the Nov. 3 elections.

In an AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll from October, about 6 in 10 Hispanic voters disapproved of Trump’s handling of the presidency, and more than 7 in 10 disapproved of his performance on the economy. A September AP-NORC poll found Hispanic voters more concerned than voters overall about grocery and housing costs; 70% blamed Trump’s policies, rather than factors outside his control, for higher prices.

During the 2024 campaign, about 7 in 10 Hispanic voters were “very concerned” about food and grocery costs, slightly more than about two-thirds of voters overall, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide. Trump had a clear advantage among those voters.

Mike Madrid, a political consultant who wrote “The Latino Century” and co-hosts “The Latino Vote” podcast, described the changing political attachments as “dealignment,” with voters rejecting strong ties to both parties because neither effectively addresses working-class economic concerns. “The Latino electorate is moving from a racial-and-ethnic voting bloc to an economic, pocketbook, class-based voter,” Madrid said. “And the party that figures that out first is the party that will probably dominate for the next generation.” In the October poll, Hispanic voters were about evenly split in their view of the Democratic Party. Fifty-five percent had an unfavorable view of the Republican Party and 38% a favorable one.

Districts in play

Casa Grande, a town of 70,000 between Phoenix and Tucson, lies largely within Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, historically one of the country’s most closely matched districts. Republican Juan Ciscomani is seeking a third term. Two years ago, he won by 2.5 percentage points, while Trump won by less than 1 point. Ciscomani presents himself as independent and bipartisan without directly criticizing Trump or his policies. “I'm not a rubber stamp for anyone,” he says in an advertisement.

Democratic state lawmaker Manny Rutinel, challenging Republican Rep. Gabe Evans in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, focused on the economy after winning his nomination. Speaking to union carpenters, Rutinel showed a scar from when he sold his blood more than 100 times to make ends meet. “I'm the son of a single mom. She came to America to give me the American Dream. We worked hard for this country,” he told the crowd, which went out to canvass for him. Rutinel said district residents “feel they've been lied to and betrayed.” Evans won by less than 1 percentage point, while Trump won by 2 points.

Jose Montalvo, a 47-year-old trucker, voted for Evans after supporting Democrat Kamala Harris for president in 2024. He changed insurers and cellphone providers to save money and said of Trump’s handling of gas prices, “I blame him for the fuel side of things.”

Household pressures and political choices

In Edinburg, Texas, the 15th Congressional District is considered a top Election Day battleground after Trump carried it by 18 percentage points. Public education teacher Priscilla Olivarez, 46, is undecided. She said costs seem to rise faster than wages and that she often uses her own money to pay for classroom needs. “I stand independent right now because I don't agree with either side right now,” she said.

Maria del Carmen Rojas, a naturalized citizen who has lived in the United States for 36 years, has worked in factories and as a nanny to raise her four U.S.-citizen children. She now struggles to buy groceries. “We Latinos contribute very much to this country, the taxes we pay, the service we provide,” she said.

Democrats are counting on disaffected Trump supporters in heavily Latino districts in Arizona, Colorado and Texas, but uncertainty remains over whether Democrats have persuaded voters without strong allegiance to either party. In Edinburg, Thomas Centrella said he might skip elections or become independent, while retired resident Maria Elsa Gonzalez said she’ll again support Republican congresswoman Monica de la Cruz. Household costs continue to shape voters’ views of both parties.