by Bob Unanue and Jorge Martinez
A new conservative, America First movement is building–and leading the formation of this new governing philosophy are Hispanics yearning for the American Dream they came here to realize. They are shaping and leading a new conservative majority that builds on their shared values of faith, family, freedom, and work.
This rapid shift of Hispanics to the conservative movement has shaken the Left to its core, who for years pinned their political hopes on demographic destiny and the idea that the Hispanic community would be a permanent fixture of their base.
It can be seen in poll after poll. It can also be seen, heard and felt traveling across our great nation. Support for the Left is slipping away, primarily fueled by the Hispanic community’s negative views of the current administration and its policies.
Americans of Cuban, Venezuelan or Nicaraguan descent recoil from the liberal enthusiasm for socialism and its mechanisms. Americans of Mexican, Honduran or Guatemalan descent are repulsed at the thought of overthrowing law and order or abolishing the police.
Nearly all of them are repelled at the fanaticism of leftist gender ideology and the rejection of religion.
A recent Times/Siena poll showed that former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are tied among Hispanics and young voters in six battleground states, groups that gave Biden more than 60% of their vote in 2020. The poll also shows shrinking support for Biden overall, with his lead cut to only six points.
Another poll from Rasmussen Reports also showed a similar analysis, concluding that former President Donald Trump could win the Hispanic vote in the presidential election with 48 percent support, compared to 37 percent for Joe Biden. The Biden administration’s failed economic policies are one of the main reason for these numbers, with only 37 percent of Hispanics approving of his job as president and the economy being the most important issue to them.
Hispanics, like most Americans, are facing a tough economic environment, with record inflation, significant increases in the price of everything from food to gas to utilities, more than 60 percent of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, and real salaries going down. A growing number are turned off by the extremism of policies that make job and business creation more burdensome, curtail parents’ authority over their children, defund the police, and make America less safe.
The probability that the Left changes direction any time soon is low because its funders and intellectual leadership are in a commanding position within their own movement. Fringe voices on the Left now seem to be controlling the direction of the current administration and promoting a radical new agenda for the country.
The Hispanic community is increasingly supportive of America First policies that better align with their values and guarantees prosperity, security, freedom, and opportunity for all – while celebrating their innovative spirit and love of democracy.
Hispanics are vital to our economy, with more than $2 trillion in buying power, and are projected to account for 78 percent of new U.S. labor force growth over the next decade. They champion the creation of jobs and new businesses, seek to advance their education, and are inspired by what we can do as a country to guarantee prosperity and upward mobility for all.
Hispanics have also become an important influence in American politics. According to the Pew Research Center, an estimated 36.2 million Hispanics will be eligible to vote this year, up from 32.3 million in 2020. This year, they will make up almost 15 percent of all eligible voters–a new high. Expected to account for one quarter of the U.S. population by 2050, Hispanics are now at the center of the American future.
As we observe this rising tide of enthusiasm among the Hispanic community, it is evident that America First principles will continue resonating across their diverse backgrounds. We recognize and celebrate the diversity of our nation, and the fact that the Hispanic community is embracing America First policies underscores its universal appeal. The America First Policy Institute and its Hispanic Leadership Coalition, which I chair, believe that fostering this support is vital for the continued success of America First policies that prioritize the well-being and prosperity of every American.
Hispanics want a return to policies that create prosperity, restore and preserve America’s free-enterprise system, defend American workers and their families, promote economic growth for the underserved and underrepresented, provide access to quality education, and protect our borders to ensure safe and secure communities.
Together, we will help build a brighter, more prosperous, and truly inclusive future–and help save America.
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Bob Unanue serves as a board member for the America First Policy Institute and chairman of the Hispanic Leadership Coalition. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of Goya Foods and Goya Cares and served as Executive Producer of the movie Sound of Freedom.
Jorge Martinez is the Hispanic Outreach Strategist & Spanish spokesperson for the America First Policy Institute. He previously served as press secretary for the U.S. Department of Justice.
Photo “Hispanic Americans” by Daniel Gregoire.
