Socialism attacks cost Democrats support among Latino voters: analysis

Democrats are losing support among Latino voters as the party has been criticized by Republicans who say they are embracing socialism, according to an analysis from a Democratic research firm released Tuesday. 

The firm, Equis, found in a poll that more than 40 percent of Latinos feel Democrats are embracing socialist policies. 

The concern about socialism increases by generation, with 45 percent of immigrants concerned about socialism compared to 59 percent of fourth generation Hispanics. 

In the poll, there was variation among what Latino voters meant by socialism, with differences between first and second generation Latinos compared to third and fourth generation. 

First and second generation Latinos defined socialism as the government telling people what to do and say at 16 percent and the U.S. becoming “a poor country like Cuba and Venezuela” at 17 percent.

Third and fourth generation Latinos defined socialism as “People will become lazy and dependent on gov’t” at 20 percent. 

“The socialism attack broke through: it created a space for defection, concentrated on people getting media from WhatsApp and right-wing outlets, along with those who most believe in social mobility through hard work (aka the American Dream),” the firm said in its analysis. 

“Among Latinos, Democrats continue to have some natural advantages— specifically on caring more about “people like you” and being “better for Hispanics”— but are on even ground with Republicans in areas that once defined their brand: valuing hard work, standing for the American Dream, and helping American workers,” the firm continued. 

The analysis is another worrying sign for Democrats as Hispanics are the second-largest voter bloc in terms of ethnicity. 

“Do I think that Democrats’ heads should be on fire over this issue? Yeah, I do. I think that their head should be on fire over this issue every day regardless of what polls say,” said Ivan Zapien, a Democratic lobbyist and former executive director at the Hispanic Leadership Council of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).