Democrats have significantly narrowed the enthusiasm gap among Latino voters in recent weeks, following President Biden's decision not to seek re-election, according to a new Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll.
The shift in voter sentiment is particularly notable among millennial Latino voters, with 79% now saying they are extremely likely to vote, a 16-point increase from July. Generation Z and women voters also showed increased enthusiasm, though to a lesser extent.
The survey reveals that 83% of registered Latino Democratic voters say they're "extremely likely" to vote, up from 71% back in July when President Biden was still in the running. Latino Republican voters, on the other hand saw their enthusiasm drop slightly from 86% back in July to 84%. Overall, 63% of Latino voters across both major parties report feeling enthusiastic about voting, a significant increase from the previous survey.
"It's back to a wide-open race," said John Gerzema, CEO of The Harris Poll, which is not affiliated with the vice-president. "With Latinos, we were seeing this pronounced shift in enthusiasm toward Trump and a populist message. Now, this is a new race. It's a reset."
As for the issues that most concern Latino voters regardless of affiliation, the economy continues to play a central role. 48% of Latino voters described their economic situation as good, a slight improvement from July while housing affordability and wages are particularly pressing concerns
The survey also indicates that Latino voters view Harris's running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, more favorably than Trump's running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, particularly on matters of authenticity, relatability, and strategic value.
"As [Harris] seeks to define herself now on these issues with Latinos, she's relatively unencumbered with the Biden baggage," concludes Gerzema. "I think they're giving her a blank slate to define herself, a bit of a blank check to say, 'Come and talk to us and tell us how you're going to go after these issues.' "
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