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Last week I found a revealing poll conducted by the organization Bienvenido and WPA Intelligence, which found that conservative star Mayra Flores is more popular among Latinos than progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC).
According to this survey, the 34th district representative in Texas holds a higher net favorability rating among Hispanics who know her than the NY congresswoman. Specifically, Flores’ favorability rating is higher than AOC’s by 8 points. An important number, given that both candidates are on opposite sides of the political spectrum and are two of the most prominent Latino representatives of their respective parties.
But, how is this possible? How is it that the “inclusive” and progressive Latina leader of Puerto Rican descent is less popular than the “far-right” and “radical” Mayra Flores?
The answer is quite simple: Latinos increasingly distrust Democrats and have less confidence in liberal mainstream media reporting; as a result, anything unfair said about Mayra Flores has no impact on Hispanic voters.
Primarily, Hispanic voters are concerned about the issues affecting their communities: insecurity, inflation, massive and uncontrolled immigration or the push for the controversial critical race theory in the nation’s schools.
Who is coming up with solutions or coherent policies to combat these concerns? Mayra Flores.
And what is AOC offering Latinos instead? A made-up term to refer to them “inclusively”: ‘latinxs’. Debates about ‘gender equality’, complaints about ‘systemic racism’ and a rhetoric demonizing capitalism. Literaly all topics that most Latinos care little about or even dismiss. Because Hispanics fleeing Latin America to come to the U.S., for the most part, are fed up with socialists and their impoverishing policies.
American progressives don’t understand why Latinos are turning to the GOP and supporting leaders like Flores, but the reality is plain and simple: Latinos are conservative, we care about family, God, our homeland, economic stability and security. The GOP gets it, while Democrats just don’t care.
It would only make sense that, as is happening now, more Latinos would come out in support of the GOP and conservative Hispanic politicians like Mayra Flores. Ultimately, AOC will rely on the elitist white Democratic vote or minority voters who still buy her divisive and bigoted discourse. But her ceiling is much lower compared to that of Flores and the new conservative Latinas bursting into South Texas.
This editorial, published on October 19, 2022, was written by Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón and is part of El American’s newsletter. Don’t forget to subscribe here! to receive our analysis, reports, interviews, opinions and comments every day in your inbox.
Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón is a journalist at El American specializing in the areas of American politics and media analysis // Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón es periodista de El American especializado en las áreas de política americana y análisis de medios de comunicación.
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