Latino voters drive Democratic surge in Texas and Florida

In San Juan, Texas, and across the state, Latino voters moved decisively toward Democrats in the midterm elections. This shift helped the party secure a wide victory in Texas, flipping the Senate seat and the governorship. Every county in Texas voted more Democratic than it did in 2024. The trend was most pronounced in areas with high Hispanic populations.

National data shows a similar pattern. Roughly one-third of Hispanic voters supported the Republican candidate in local House races this year. That number is down from nearly 4 in 10 who voted for President Donald Trump two years ago. In Florida, less than half of Hispanic voters backed Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in her reelection bid. Trump had won the group’s support with 55% of the vote in the 2024 presidential election.

The shift was particularly strong among younger voters. In Texas, Hispanic voters under 65 swung about 20 percentage points toward Democrat James Talarico in the Senate race. Talarico won the seat with support from roughly 7 in 10 Hispanic voters. His Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, received support from only about 3 in 10 of that demographic.

Voters cited rising prices and government corruption as key drivers for their choices. Rep. Gabe Vasquez won his New Mexico district by about 17 percentage points, a significant increase from his narrow win in 2022. “We showed our power and flexed our muscle during this election,” Vasquez said. Johnny Garcia, a sheriff’s deputy who won a new House district in the San Antonio area, noted that the group targeted issues that mattered most to residents.

Fourteen Hispanic Democrats were elected to the U.S. House on Tuesday. Ten of them won in districts currently represented by Republicans or in areas redrawn to favor the GOP. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus will now have more members than ever before. Leticia Gutierrez, who won a Houston-area district, said voters wanted representatives who understand their specific issues. “I’m gonna carry all of those things with me to Washington to be able to have that lens,” Gutierrez said.

In southwestern Kansas, three Hispanic-majority counties flipped from supporting Trump to backing Democrat Adam Hamilton. Turnout in Finney, Ford, and Seward counties surged 27% over the 2022 election. Hamilton became the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in Kansas in nearly a century. Allentown, Pennsylvania, Mayor Matt Tuerk warned that the shift relies on Democrats fulfilling their campaign promises. “They’re on probation,” Tuerk said.

Democrats also won every House district that touches the U.S.-Mexico border for the first time since 2008. These seats are located in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. The results mark a notable change for a demographic that had shifted toward the Republican Party just two years prior.