KQED's Forum Democrats Have Lost Diverse Voters. Can They Get Them Back?
Aug 4, 2025
In this conversation, Yale professor Daniel Martinez HoSang, an expert on voters of color, discusses how discontent has shifted the political landscape for Democrats, particularly among Latino and Black voters. Republican strategist Mike Madrid, co-founder of The Lincoln Project, highlights the misalignment between the party’s policies and the concerns of younger voters. They explore the implications of changing loyalties, economic challenges, and the need for meaningful engagement to regain lost support ahead of the crucial 2026 midterms.
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Trump Gains Among Diverse Voters
- Trump gained significantly among Latino and Black voters, especially men, in the 2024 election compared to earlier cycles.
- This shift marks a sizable realignment in voter loyalty that Democrats previously assumed was stable.
Generational Shift Shapes Latino Vote
- Latino and Asian American voters are much different today than 25 years ago with generational and geographic shifts affecting voting patterns.
- The increasing size of U.S.-born and multi-generation Latinos is driving a broad rightward shift across many regions.
Education and Economics Drive Voting
- The biggest driver of recent voting shifts is the education divide between college-educated and non-college voters.
- Economic and local issues, more than ideological ones, pull many diverse voters toward the Republican Party recently.
