Working-class Hispanics are getting crushed by rising costs and stagnant wages, and a new poll shows they're blaming the party in power — but the establishment press is framing the shift as a deportation story rather than what the data actually shows: an economic revolt.
An NBC News/Telemundo survey finds Latino voters have swung hard against Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms, with Democrats now holding a 24-point advantage on congressional preference, 59% to 35%. That's double the Democratic margin at the same point in the 2024 cycle. But while International Business Times and NPR emphasize immigration enforcement as a key driver, the polling data itself tells a different story — inflation and the cost of living ranked as the top concern, cited by 33% of Latino voters, and nearly two-thirds say their family income is falling behind the cost of living.
The numbers are stark. Trump's approval among Latino voters has cratered to 27%. Nearly one in five Latinos who voted for Trump in 2024 have abandoned Republican congressional control — 14% now favor Democrats, another 8% are undecided. The Democratic advantage on handling the economy has swung from a 4-point Trump edge in 2024 to a 21-point Democratic advantage now.
Seventy-eight percent of Latino voters disapprove of Trump's handling of the cost of living. Seventy-four percent disapprove of his handling of the economy overall. Among Latino independents, 72% say Trump's policies have hurt economic conditions.
NPR frames the broader economic picture as the result of Trump's tariffs and the war with Iran, noting the economy is
