Surprise? Trump’s support among Latinos in Virginia is dropping, according to poll

The percentage of Latino voters in Virginia who support Trump is getting smaller, according to polling from Equis Labs, which released an 11-state survey this week it calls the deepest look yet at voter sentiment in the demographic.

Equis polled 500 Latino voters in the state and found 20 percent plan on voting for Trump in the 2020 presidential election, down from the 30 percent that exit polls showed voting for him in 2016.

Most of the voters surveyed (63%) told Equis they would vote for a Democrat over Trump. The remaining 17 percent are still undecided, but most indicated leaning toward voting for a Democrat.

The results may not be surprising, given the president’s negative and inflammatory remarks about Latino immigrants. The survey isn’t all bad news for Trump: Half of the respondents said they like the way Trump has handled the economy — a number higher than in any state surveyed except Florida. Much smaller percentages of Latino Virginians (29% and 24%, respectively) agree with Trump on health care and immigration.

Majorities also support finding a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants (79%), protecting the Affordable Care Act (64%), and consider themselves pro-choice (63%).

Equis Labs, a newly launched progressive think tank, encourages Democrats to reach out more to Latino voters, a group they say could make or break the party’s chances in the 2020 presidential election.

“Old modes of thinking about Latinx voters, and outdated infrastructure to engage them, leaves many disconnected from the political process — leading to lower rates of participation and less power,” Equis said in a statement.

“Often our voters aren’t being targeted; when they are targeted, they are not being reached; and when they are being reached, it is with messages that aren’t connecting. It leaves our voters at a deficit of information, even about who’s on the ballot.”