Latino voters in Pennsylvania could sway the election

PHILADELPHIA: A decade ago, Angela Rodriguez became an American citizen and promptly registered as a Democrat. But for Rodriguez, a native of the Dominican Republic, years of living in the United States have reshaped her perception of the party’s relationship with the more than 60 million Latinos in this country.

“They have done absolutely nothing but use us’’, said Rodriguez, 57, a stay-at-home caregiver for her 4-year-old granddaughter. Maricela Ayllon, 49, has been a registered Democrat since 1999.

But this year, said the Kennett Square resident and Mexico native, “I don’t feel satisfied with either of the candidates on the ballot.” And Maram Jaber, 25, a Philadelphian of Puerto Rican descent, is sickened by the racism she sees coming from President Donald Trump — but she isn’t particularly enthusiastic about the alternative. “For sure,” she said, asked if she knew who would get her vote.”Biden is his name?” There are more than half a million Latinos in Pennsylvania who are eligible to vote, making up about 5 per cent of the electorate,according to the Pew Research Center.

The state’s Puerto Rican population makes up the largest bloc, followed by Mexicans and Dominicans. Latinos live across the state, but many are concentrated in cities including Allentown, Reading, Philadelphia and the borough of Kennett Square in Chester County. And while Joe Biden is expected to win Latinos handily, even small shifts towards Trump could prove pivotal in a state decided by less than 1 per cent of the vote in 2016 that is again seen as likely to determine who wins the presidency. With Trump having lost ground among older voters, white women and others, Latinos are seen as an area where he can grow support.

“If (Trump) does shave a few points in these groups, he has the potential to repeat what happened in 2016’’, said Christopher Borick,a pollster and political scientist at Muhlenberg College in Allentown.

“There’s a diversity of interests within the community -social, economic — that have avenues in which Latinos could align with the president.” Latinos lean Democratic, but there is no one Latino vote. Different groups have distinct policy priorities, shaped by factors including faith, the economy and national heritage. Polls show Latino men are more likely to back Trump than are women, similar to gender gaps among Black voters and white voters.

Pennsylvania’s more than 493,000 total Puerto Ricans make up almost half the state’s Latino population. And many share cultural values with the Republican Party. “PR is a very conservative island’’, said Nilda Iris Ruiz, president and chief executive of the Philadelphia nonprofit Asociacion Puertorriquenos en Marcha. “It has very traditional values.” Rafael Morales, a Puerto Rican who lives in Philadelphia, said he’slikely to support Trump. He cited the president’s support for Israel. — dpa