Latino Decisions and America’s Voice to Examine Latino Influence and Immigration Politics in Competitive Senate Races
Washington, DC – As 2015 draws to a close and all eyes focus in on the official start of primary season, America’s Voice and Latino Decisions announced, today, a new 2016 Senate project to monitor political developments in states that are home to both competitive Senate electoral environments and large or relevant Latino populations.
In a new blog posted at Latino Decisions, David Damore, Senior Analyst at Latino Decisions and Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, maps out the initial list of target states (AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, NC, NV, OH, PA and WI); provides context around current political dynamics in key races; and explains how a surging Latino electorate combined with the developments on the presidential campaign trail might impact down ballot races. The full blog post is available here and today’s slide deck is available here.
Said Damore, “The analysis demonstrates how the country’s changing demography is continuing to reshape the geography of political competition in a manner that positions Latino voters to influence outcomes in a number of electoral contexts. How the parties and their candidates respond to these voters will go a long way to determining which party will be in control of the US Senate after November.”
Much is at stake for both parties in 2016. Between a divisive race for the White House and an increasingly diverse electorate, how candidates handle key, defining issues like immigration is sure to influence outcomes in races up and down the ballot—something that’s caused great concern amongst top Republicans as the Trump Effect continues to influence the GOP debate.
In the months ahead, America’s Voice and Latino Decisions will release three waves of national and state polling of likely Latino voters.
Said Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, “As one of the fastest growing demographics in the country, Latinos are positioned to influence race outcomes up and down the ballot. How and how much candidates and parties engage this rapidly growing electorate will have a huge impact on mobilization and margins in 2016.”
RESOURCES:
- Click here to see Damore’s blog post and here for today’s power point presentation.
- Click here to listen to a recording of today’s press call/webinar.
- See more America’s Voice 2016 content atwww.americasvoice.org/2016 and Latino Decisions’ analysis on the 2016 elections here.
