Former President Donald Trump managed to win Starr County, Texas which has not voted for a Republican in more than 120 years.
Trump won Starr, the most Hispanic county in the U.S. by 16 percentage points according to data from the Associated Press, marking the first time since 1982 that a Republican presidential candidate won the county.
According to Bloomberg, more than 97% of Starr residents are Hispanics, and Trump’s victory in this little Texas county underscores his political gains on Latinos these elections.
Exit polls showed Latino voters favoring Trump yesterday, specifically on issues such as the economy, where the former President promised to reduce inflation and lower taxes. He successfully ran campaigns in Spanish blaming Vice President Kamala Harris for higher prices and rising inflation. In addition, he promised that cracking down on undocumented immigrants would ultimately help the Latino community.
It appears that Trump’s message deeply resonated with voters who were discontent over President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy.
“The vast majority of us were living so much better under the Trump administration,” said Toni Trevino, the Republican Party chair in Starr County. “A lot of people are under the impression that Hispanic voters support uncontrolled immigration. That is simply not true. People here in South Texas want laws enforced.”
Starr has increasingly voted Republican since Trump’s race with Hillary Clinton. In 2016 Clinton won with 79 percent of the vote, but in 2020 Biden won the county with just 52 percent of the vote.
According to exit polls from CNN, Trump had little more than 20% of the latino vote in 2016, but it increased to more than 40% this election, especially among men. Overall, Trump had almost 55% of male latino voters while Harris got little more than 40%.
CEO of the Latino Donor Collaborative, Ana Valdez, told Newsweek that Trump managed to reach conservative niches of the Latinos community but that overall many feel disillusioned by both parties.
“The lack of investment in meaningful engagement by Democrats has made it easier for Republicans to appeal to Latinos frustrated by unfulfilled promises. Latinos aren’t loyal to any party—they’re loyal to those who recognize their needs and show respect,” she said.
