Democrats and Republicans Struggle to Figure Out Latino Protestants, Which Could Help tip the Electoral Scale

Latino Los Angeles10/17/2024

1 minute read

On Tuesday, The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) announced a $25 million investment on ten battleground states , seeking to strengthen voter outreach programs. Florida and Texas are the two places where Democrats are expressing the most hope of upsetting Republican incumbents.

As with other places that once seemed Republican-shoo-ins , both Florida and Texas could still be up for grabs and, as both parties make their moves to attract possible voters, a recent report by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) has revealed a new possible target on the campaign trail: Latino Protestants .

The report , titled The American Religious Landscape in 2023, highlights the political diversity among members of this demographic, who make up 4% of the U.S. population, distinguishing them from the more conservative-leaning white evangelical community.

According to the data, 30% of Latino Protestants identified as political independents in 2023, while 27% identified as Republicans and 25% as Democrats, a pretty even split that offers a glimpse a the opportunities in play . This contrasts with white evangelical Protestants, 61% of whom identified as Republicans, with fewer identifying as independents or Democrats.

For reference, Hispanic Catholics, who make up 8% of the U.S. population, lean […]