Young Latino voters were crucial in stemming the so-called Republican red wave in the 2022 midterm elections, according to early exit polls.
While Americans are still waiting to find out which party will control the House and Senate next year, early data shows younger Latino voters continue to drive Democrats amid hotly contested races.
An NBC News exit poll found that 68% of Latino voters under the age of 30 voted for a Democratic House candidate on Election Day, even though just 43% identified as Democrats. Only 30% of young Latino voters favored the Republican candidate for the House.
When it comes to party identification, 37% of young Latino voters identify as independents and 20% as Republicans, according to NBC News exit polling. Additionally, 41% of young Latino voters identify as liberal, 34% as moderate, and 25% as conservative.
The NBC News exit poll also echoed some analysis by CIRCLE, Tufts University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Participation, which studies young voters.
Young Latino voters under the age of 30, along with young black voters, showed higher support for Democrats on Election Day compared to young white voters, according to CIRCLE analysis. 68% of Latino youth and 89% of Black youth voted for a Democratic candidate for the House.
Among young white voters, the vote was 58% for Democrats. “In close races, the big margins of young people, young people of color, young Latinos, can be really influential. Sometimes they can even be decisive,” Alberto Medina, communications leader for CIRCLE, told NBC News. “They can really put a candidate on top or keep them in the race.”
Senate races in states like Nevada and Arizona, where young Latinos make up 40% of all new eligible voters, were ranked by CIRCLE as fights in which young voters could have the most impact. “The ranking of those two states is heavily influenced by the large presence of young Latino voters,” Medina said.
Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada is running for reelection in a closely contested race against Republican Adam Laxalt. Votes are still being counted, but 64% of young voters have sided with Cortez Masto, according to CIRCLE.
In Arizona, as of last Wednesday, 76% of young voters favored Democratic Senator Mark Kelly in his race against Republican Blake Masters. Today, Friday, votes were still being counted. Given that Latinos are among the youngest racial and ethnic groups in the country with a median age of 30, it is nearly impossible to understand Latino voters without acknowledging their connection to the nation’s youth vote.
CIRCLE estimated that 27% of 18-29-year-olds voted in the midterm elections, making it the second-highest turnout of young voters in nearly three decades.
Dakota Hall, executive director of the Alliance for Youth Action, believes young voters are engaging with Democratic candidates to push them further on policy platforms related to abortion access, climate change and the economy, especially the rise in salaries, the creation of economically sustainable futures and investment in education.
“Young people understand that on key social issues Republicans are not with them,” Hall told NBC News. While some like Hall believe that the Democrats’ messages on economic and social issues may have resonated with young Latino voters, others like Clarissa Martínez De Castro, vice president of the Latino vote initiative UnidosUS, think that Democrats cannot get too comfortable if they want to take advantage of this voting bloc.
“There is an alignment of values, but if they want to capitalize on that, they really have to communicate effectively and early,” said Martínez De Castro. “Voters want things done…Whether it’s the economy and jobs, immigration or abortion, housing and health care, people want things done.” Medina said CIRCLE’s research shows that young voters in general are less likely to commit to a party affiliation.
