Peach Tree Times

Hispanic Americans, who make up 19% of the total U.S. population and 9.5% of Georgia's population, are among the number of Americans that feel that flawed Democratic policies are the cause of some of the country's biggest problems, including rampant inflation, high gas prices, and high rates of crime. Recent poll results reveal that those within the Hispanic demographic, which historically voted Democratic, are leaning toward the Republican Party.

According to a New York Times-Siena College poll out last week, among Hispanic voters, Democrats are statistically tied with Republicans on the generic congressional ballot, according to Axios. This represents a large political shift among this demographic's support, as Democrats held a 47-point edge with Hispanics during the 2018 midterms. Axios argues this shift is "the biggest political story of our time."

"Hispanic voters predict red wave, say Democrats use handouts and rhetoric to appease minorities," Fox News wrote in a July 20 Twitter post.

"The Democrats really lost working-class people," Chris Formoso, a first-generation Cuban, and father of four, told Fox News. "These people have absolutely lost their minds. There is no way we could vote for them, especially when Republicans have been more focused on the issues that matter."

Hector Olmo, a Puerto Rican retired police officer living in New Jersey also told Fox News he believes Democrats are embracing socialist ideas which turn away Hispanic voters. 

"We moved here to be independent and to be our own thinkers and be as successful as we want," Olmo told Fox News. "With socialism, where everybody’s on an equal table–it's a nice idea, but it doesn't work."

Minority-owned small businesses are being affected by crime across the country, especially in major cities like New York. Francisco Marte, president of the Bodega and Small Business Association, which represents 16,000 bodegas in New York City, told the Washington Times that rampant crime is driving Hispanic voters away from the Democratic Party and toward the Republican Party. He cited what he sees as inaction from New Yorkers in Congress, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

“She’s in favor of the criminals. She’s in favor of the DA. She’s too liberal,” Marte told the Washington Times.

According to Axios, Hispanics living on the U.S.-Mexico border are more likely to favor tougher border security measures championed by the Republican Party.

Inflation is a hidden tax on poor people, which disproportionately includes people of color, according to USA Today's opinion contributor DaQuawn Bruce. The June report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported the inflation rate for Blacks to be 0.2% higher than the national average and for Hispanics, it was roughly 0.6% higher. 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Hispanic population is the nation’s second-largest racial group, behind White Americans and ahead of Black Americans. In the state of Georgia, 9.54% of the population, or 992,394 people, are Hispanic.