14 NOV 2022

On the Heels of Arizona and Nevada Democratic Victories Propelled by Latinos, Midterm Election Results Show Clear Mandate for Congress to Deliver for Latino Voters 

82% of Latino voters say they support Congress passing a law to protect Dreamers

WASHINGTON, DC – The results of the 2022 midterm elections demonstrate that a majority of voters across the country rejected extremist GOP rhetoric on immigration, abortion, and democracy. The “red wave” that countless Republican candidates and operatives promised simply did not materialize in the face of passionate organizing and Democratic candidates who ran on shared American values— from immigration reform to abortion access. 

Democrats defied political gravity with positive messages on Dreamers, farm workers, and immigrants to win critical races in Colorado and Pennsylvania. Most recently in Nevada and Arizona, Catherine Cortez Masto and Mark Kelly, respectively, pulled off gritty wins in hotly contested Senate battleground races. Both Senators doubled down on their support for a fair and humane immigration system along with citizenship for Dreamers and hard-working immigrants. Also in Arizona, Adrian Fontes, the only Latino running statewide, has defeated election denier Mark Finchem in the race for Secretary of State. These races show that when candidates recognize Dreamers and immigrants as one of America’s greatest assets, acknowledge the broken system and own popular solutions, they can pick up critical voters and win.

The Immigration Hub’s executive director, Sergio Gonzales, released the following statement: 

"There were a lot of very bad takes on America’s Latino voters this election cycle, with pundits not from our communities speaking for our communities. They pushed media narratives that Latinos would turn out for extreme Republicans and are anti-immigrant. Latinos spoke for themselves: saying no to MAGA extremism; and casting decisive votes for candidates who ran on policies like a path to citizenship for Dreamers, farmworkers, and undocumented essential workers. Given that the federal courts are preparing to strike down DACA, stripping protections away from hard working young people across the country, it’s now time for Congress to deliver for Latinos. Democrats need to show up for Latino families by protecting Dreamers and farm workers, and Republicans would be wise to walk away from the hate politics of Stephen Miller and Donald Trump that continue to repel Latinos in a big way.”

The support that voters showed for Dreamers does not stop at the ballot box. More than 8 out of 10 Latino voters want Congress to act to protect Dreamers— newly threatened by a rightwing judiciary gearing up to end DACA— in the upcoming lame duck session. By a margin of more than 2 to 1, voters across all racial and ethnic groups support a DACA bill that would provide permanent legal status to DACA recipients and Dreamers. And this mandate to Congress is especially apparent in battleground states, where Latino voters overwhelmingly support protections for Dreamers: Pennsylvania (79%), Arizona (83%), Nevada (77%), Colorado (80%), Georgia (87%).

While final results for every race will not be available for some time, below are some crucial wins Latino voters and candidates delivered for Democrats at the polls: 

  • Across the country, 60% of Hispanic and Latino voters supported Democrats on their ballots.

  • 70% of Latinos voted for Senator Bennet (D) in his win in Colorado.

  • Governor-elect Shapiro (D) won 73% of Latino voters in Pennsylvania.

  • Senator-elect Fetterman (D) won 67% of Latino voters in Pennsylvania.

  • Senator Kelly won reelection in Arizona by winning the state’s large Latino electorate by 18points.

  • Senator Cortez Masto won reelection in Nevada with over 60% of the Latino vote.

  • 58% of Latino voters showed up for Senator Warnock (D) in Georgia, propelling him to a runoff that could potentially decide the fate of Senate control.

  • In Massachusetts, 54% of voters said YES to allowing people who cannot verify citizenship or immigration status to submit an alternate ID in order to apply for a driver's license.

  • Yadira Caraveo won the extremely competitive (labeled a true toss up) race in CO-08 in a district of 40% Latinos and is the first Latino to represent Colorado in Congress.

  • California's House candidate Robert Garcia (D) will be the first out LGBTQ immigrant in Congress as a gay man from Peru.

  • 25-year-old Maxwell Frost (D), who is Afro-Latino, will be the first member of Gen Z in Congress.

  • Sen. Alex Padilla (D), who was first appointed to fill Vice President Kamala Harris' former seat, became the first Latino elected to represent the state in the Senate.

  • Delia Ramirez (D), a Guatemalan American, will be Illinois' first Latina member of Congress.

###

The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.