Many Hispanic voters in Texas’ historically blue Rio Grande Valley are tired of Democratic control and are planning to turn the region red on Tuesday, local residents told the Daily Caller. It is said that

This valley, which borders northern Mexico and the Rio Grande, has a predominantly Hispanic population. Many voters in this area are lifelong Democrats. But rising costs in one of the nation’s poorest regions, growing dissatisfaction with Democrats’ stance on culture war issues, and the presence of a more energetic Republican Party may be pushing Democrats across the aisle. There is.

The five major counties that make up the Rio Grande Valley (Starr, Hidalgo, Willacy, Zapata, and Cameron) all went deep blue for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

But in 2020, Trump had strong support in all five counties and won Zapata County, turning the county red for the first time in 100 years, Zapata County Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Thatcher told the Daily Caller. .

“What they want is change,” Thatcher said of Zapata County voters. “Everyone is tired of the same thing. Tired of making the same empty promises and not getting anything done.”

In 2016, Clinton lost Zapata’s Trump, that is. 94% Hispanicgot 65% of the vote, and Trump got 32%. But in 2020, President Trump edgy Biden won 1,000 voters in the county of 12,000 people, 53-47.

The trend spread throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Trump received 69,493 votes in five Valley counties from 2016 to 2020. Local Republicans believe Trump could win an even bigger vote this time around.

“His support is really great,” Starr County Republican Party Chair Toni Trevino told the Daily Caller. It’s “even more off the charts than ’16 or ’20.”

While some voters in border counties cited President Trump’s immigration policies, the economy and cost of living appear to be the biggest reasons for the change.

“Prices are so high,” Jorge Bazan, a Starr County voter who describes himself as a “lifelong Democrat,” told the Caller. “It’s expensive when you go to restaurants. Expensive groceries.”

Bazan, who works for a water company, said that in 2020, his company’s cost per foot of pipe was $8, but now it’s $21.

According to the CPI, overall prices have increased by 20% since January 2021, but many essential items have increased by 30% to 40% or more. pic.twitter.com/n2Vx3g0EAx

— Dr. EJ Antoni (@RealEJAntoni) October 12, 2024

This time, he says he will vote for Trump. “The economy was good when he was in office.”

EDINBURG, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 19: A man wearing a Donald Trump hat waits for the former president’s speech at South Texas International Airport on November 19, 2023 in Edinburg, Texas. Trump has received the support of Texas Governor Greg Abbott to run for president in 2024. Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images

She told the Caller that many of Starr County’s Democrats voted blue for local candidates, but revealed to Trevino that they also voted for Trump.

Col. Ross Barrera, another local organizer, heard the same thing. (Related: “Cleaning Kamala” | Watch now)

“A lot of people have been hinting to me, ‘Mr. They are first generation Mexican Americans.” he told the caller.

Former Democratic senators told Mr. Barrera, Mr. Thatcher and Mr. Trevino that they were voting for Trump because of economic hardship.

Voters often mention the prices of food and other necessities. “The main problem for these people, of course, is getting the money home,” Barrera said.

The Rio Grande Valley is one of the poorest areas in the United States. The family poverty rate in this area is 27%. According to At the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. That number is far more than double Nationwide rates 11.5 percent.

“There is such a clear difference in the cost of living and food and clothing for the family, and at the same time there are few employment opportunities, or even if there are employment opportunities, the amount is low. A job that pays, that’s what I mean. People here understood the difference,” Trevino told Caller.

“They saw their lives get better in the four years of Donald Trump’s administration, and then they’ve seen the last four years where their lives weren’t as good for their families. ”

Despite the challenges, local Hispanic voters aren’t asking for benefits, Barrera said.

“The reason they come to America is not because they want an abortion. They come to work. These people want to work. They don’t want gifts. But the Democrats [say]”Oh, I’ll give you this. I’ll give you that. No, no, give me a job,” Barrera said.

While the economy appears to be the primary catalyst for the Valley’s rightward shift, there are other issues on the Democratic platform, including funding for foreign wars, border security, child gender reassignment, and abortion. pretty catholic) are also contributing to the defection from the party.

For example, Bazin cited abortion as a key issue for rejecting Democrats, and county officials have heard similar stories from others.

Still, the main reason these voters are leaving appears to be the economy.

““The economy, illegal immigration, inflation and oil are the four key issues for voters in Starr County,” Barrera told the Caller. “Notice I haven’t said anything about transgender issues. I haven’t said anything about abortion. These are issues that hit people hard. People want to work. They want to not present [the Democratic Party’s] method. ”

Flores explained voters’ opposition to Democrats by outlining the party’s platform.

“If the government leaves its borders wide open and allows 13,099 known murderers and 15,811 known murderers into the country; [convicted sex offenders] Even in our country, people want change. When the government moves forward with a bill that uses tax money to pay for a child’s sex change, people demand change. When food becomes unavailable and the quality of life decreases dramatically, people demand change. When governments send hundreds of billions of dollars overseas, yet crises continue to be ignored in our communities, people demand change. ”

This region has remained reliably blue for decades. 2020, New York Times listed Joe Biden could win Texas for the first time since Jimmy Carter in 1976, citing the state’s “formidable multiracial Democratic coalition in the nation’s largest red state.” So it was a toss-up.

The outlet specifically cited the Hispanic vote and the Valley’s local Democratic candidates, who often run unopposed. The lack of opposition led to what former Republican Texas state Rep. Myra Flores said was a lack of opposition.One party rule. ”

NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 12: Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Congressional candidate former U.S. Rep. Myra Flores (R-TX) meet on October 12, 2024. Participate in the Hispanic Roundtable held at the Beauty Society on Sunday. North Las Vegas, Nevada. This week, President Trump and Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris appealed to Hispanic voters in battleground states with less than a month until Election Day. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

“Too many voters believe that the only elections that deliver results are primaries. “Most voters, even those with conservative beliefs, vote in the Democratic primary to have a say in who their local elected officials are.” he told the Caller. “Republicans have only recently begun to be seen as competitive in this area, and investing in campaign and advocacy efforts has become a priority.”

In the past, it was socially frowned upon not to vote Democratic, Barrera told the Caller.

“You can’t call yourself a Republican because they paint you like, ‘Oh, you want to be white.'” Oh, you want to be rich, right? You’re in the wrong party,” Barrera said.

However, the tide is clearly changing. (Related: Caught on camera: Democratic official calls Americans racist, rants about ending border security and opening borders)

In Barrera’s star county, Trump’s vote share rose from 19% in 2016 to 47% in 2020, narrowly losing to Biden despite receiving more than 6,000 votes. Biden received 123 fewer votes in 2020 than Clinton in 2016.

“I think he’s almost certainly going to overperform starting in 2020, and there’s a good chance he’s going to take the entire Rio Grande Valley by storm,” Flores told the Caller.

An October AP/NORC poll showed Trump leading Kamala Harris among Hispanic male voters, a trend that extends nationally.

new @cygnal Poll in Florida: Hispanics (including Puerto Ricans) love President Trump.

Received 50% of the Hispanic vote. +28 with Cubans. +2 for Puerto Ricans. pic.twitter.com/TDjOCC4p5c

— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) October 30, 2024

Harris has struggled to connect with Hispanic voters compared to her Democratic predecessors.

Hillary Clinton led the Hispanic vote by 40 points, followed by Biden by about 30 points. According to The Economist/YouGov, Harris beat Trump by 12 points among registered Hispanic voters. public opinion poll From late October.

Mr. Trevino and other party officials cited the increased strength and cohesiveness of Mr. Trump’s organizing efforts as part of the reason for his rise.

The region has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the country, but turnout increased rapidly in the past two presidential elections.

“Nearly 12% of the early votes cast so far this year have been by voters who have not voted in the last four elections,” Flores said. “Enthusiasm is growing, but it seems to be one-sided, at least in South Texas.”

“Latino voters have been abandoned by the Democratic Party. After decades of one-party rule, and seeing things getting worse, they want change.”