Republican Donald Trump has nearly erased Democrats’ longstanding advantage among Hispanic men ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election when he will face Democrat Kamala Harris, according to an analysis of Reuters/Ipsos polling.
Former President Trump now trails Vice President Harris by just 2 percentage points among Hispanic men – 44% to 46% – compared with his 19 point deficit with Democrat Joe Biden at the same point in 2020, according to the analysis of more than 15,000 responses to Reuters/Ipsos polls conducted in the month through Oct. 21 and during the same period of 2020.
Trump’s gains have been offset by increased support for Harris among white women, who favored him over Biden by 12 points late in 2020 but now lean Republican by 3 points, 46% to 43%. The two candidates are locked in an exceptionally tight race, with Harris up only marginally – 46% to 43% – in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Oct. 16-21.
The shifts are part of larger changes in the coalitions that each candidate is counting on for victory, with Trump boosting his advantage with Hispanic and Black voters – particularly men – while Harris has cut away at the Republicans’ longstanding edge with white voters by gaining ground with women.
Robert Alomia, a Hispanic voter in Elizabeth, New Jersey, who works at a security firm, said he respects Trump’s career as a businessman and plans to vote for him this year after sitting out the 2020 election.
“We need people who think quick and people who are willing to lead – he’s a leader,” said Alomia, 42, who said he was also sympathetic to Trump’s hardline views on immigration. “You have these people that come into the country where they get everything, and basically the door is open for them.”