Voice of America / Wikimedia Commons
CV NEWS FEED // A predominantly Latino county in Texas that has voted Democrat in every presidential election since 1892 flipped to support Trump this election, turning to the Republican Party as the new party of the working class.
The Free Press reported that 58% of Starr County, which is next to the U.S.-Mexico border and almost 100% Latino, voted for Trump. Latino voters near the border told the Free Press that one of their top concerns is illegal immigration, which they now trust a Republican administration to handle.
“For at least the last 20 years, Democrats have tried to win over Latinos by promising a more humane approach to immigration,” Leighton Woodhouse reported for the Free Press. “And indeed, the people I spoke to in Starr County were careful to note their sympathy for migrants. But they’re as frustrated with uncontrolled immigration as their Anglo counterparts in border towns that have long voted Republican.”
One voter told the Free Press that Texas residents are also concerned for their jobs in the oil industry, which they feel are safer under Trump’s administration.
Democrats used to be perceived as supporting the working class, but the Republicans now seem to be claiming that attribute for their own, Woodhouse noted.
“[T]here is one major commonality among Latinos: They’re overwhelmingly working class,” the Free Press reported.
“And if nothing else, last week’s election results show the GOP is now the party of the American worker,” Woodhouse added. “Meanwhile, for residents of the Rio Grande Valley, the Democrats have become the party of the affluent and out-of-touch. The class divide remains; it’s just that the parties have switched places.”
The Free Press’ full report on the shift in Starr County is available here.
