Democrats are panicking and dumbfounded as polls show President Donald Trump is surging with Hispanics. It's not just survey data. In my community of Hidalgo County, Texas, where Hispanics make up over 90 percent of the population, primary early vote figures point to a political earthquake: Republican turnout has skyrocketed by 48 percent since 2020, while Democratic participation has plummeted by 34 percent.
These numbers don't lie. They signal a seismic shift that could spell disaster for Democrats.
Unable to come to terms with the political realignment shattering their dreams of a permanent majority, some progressives are desperately rationalizing their shortcomings. They've cast about for explanations, veering into the outlandish such as claiming that Latinos are embracing white supremacy. In a move that smacks of coercion, they've even lashed out at Univision for merely granting President Trump a standard interview.
The simple fact is that the Democrats' Latino outreach was destined to fail because their electoral sazón consists of bad ingredients at odds with Hispanic values. They believe Latinos view ourselves as oppressed victims and that we like weak border policies. A Spanish-language ad by Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, suggesting John McCain was a racist, points to the origins of this flawed theory.
For a while, their approach worked. Between 2006-2018, Democrats won the lion's share of the Latino vote—then, something changed.
After years of a sluggish economy following the housing crisis, Hispanics saw an economic resurgence under the Trump administration. Before the pandemic, Hispanic unemployment hit record lows, the Latino poverty rate dropped dramatically, and we led the nation in the creation of new small businesses while our border security was the strongest it had ever been.
What happened next was a tragedy of missteps as Democrat-led states persisted with draconian COVID-19 restrictions. These policies ravaged small businesses, inflicted lasting damage on our children's education, and stalled our economic recovery, culminating in soaring inflation. These outcomes were not just unfortunate; they were largely preventable.
President Biden's inflationary policies have dealt a blow to all Americans, yet for Latinos, who are predominantly working-class and often have larger families, the impact has been particularly severe. We now have less money in our pockets to care for our families.
Meanwhile, our communities have grown increasingly frustrated with the escalating border crisis. It makes sense: Hispanics know the immigration system as well as anyone. We witness 10 million people breaking our immigration laws and cutting ahead of our relatives and friends who have waited years to come here legally. We're not strangers to the havoc wrought by fentanyl in towns and cities nationwide. We understand the economic pitfalls of porous borders and we're well-acquainted with the burden illegal immigration places on local infrastructures. And let's be clear: None of this is okay with us.
The radical left-wing notion that border security concerns are somehow racist is itself racist and profoundly ignorant. This presumes that our ethnicity requires us to turn a blind eye to the dire ramifications of lax border policies. Nothing could be further from the truth.
We are proud of our heritage, and far from viewing ourselves as casualties of racism, we see nuestra gente as the American Dream incarnate. This isn't just a catchphrase; it is my story. As a single mom who overcame adversity to become a successful small business owner and now represents one of the most heavily Hispanic regions in America in Congress, I know that El Sueño Americano is real because my life is a testament to it.
President Trump understands this, too. Through his policies, he has shown that he values our community. Is he obsessed with political correctness? No—he speaks bluntly, just like your favorite tio and many Hispanics. Most importantly, was our country better off under his leadership? Absolutely.
To be clear, Republicans should not take our gains with Latinos for granted. Platitudes from the 1980s will not grow our Big Tent.
As President Trump has advocated, our party needs to continue innovating to address the complex policy challenges facing Americans, including Hispanics. That's why in Washington, I'm not just fighting for low taxes; I'm proactively championing Medicare and Social Security, working to improve healthcare access for women, and making healthy food options available to low-income children.
While we champion working families and safe communities, Democrats flounder, unsure of even what to call Hispanics with the Biden White House reducing us to tacos.
With the Democrats in disarray, Republicans stand on the brink of making unparalleled gains with Latinos. Now is the time to establish a multi-ethnic working-class coalition that paves the way for a reinvigorated American century.
Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz represents Texas' 15th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
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