Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump faces a serious challenge with Latinos, according to a Fox News Latino poll published Friday, trailing Hillary Clinton among those voters by nearly forty points.
Clinton leads Trump 62% to 23% with Latino voters, according the poll out Friday. And 74% said they have an unfavorable opinion of the likely Republican standard-bearer.
The steep numbers underscore Trump’s challenge in the general election, with Latino voters — one of the fastest-growing parts of the electorate — particularly in swing states out West. Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney among Latinos by 44 points in 2012.
“Much was made during the 2012 election about Mitt Romney’s dismal performance among Latino voters (27 percent),” Fox reports. “But Trump’s current 23 percent … paired with the 74% unfavorable rating has the real estate mogul facing a monumental task if he wants to win over Latinos.”
Still, these voters are not exactly embracing Clinton. While better than Trump, Clinton is viewed favorably by 56% of Latinos compared to 41% who have an unfavorable opinion. And as the poll points out, Obama far outperforms either candidate, with 72% saying they have a favorable opinion of the president.
Latino voters overwhelmingly say Clinton would do a better job than Trump at representing their values, making decisions about nuclear weapons, nominating the next Supreme Court justice, and making military decisions — by margins of 30-plus points.
But despite warnings that Trump’s harsh rhetoric on immigration and divisive proposals will disqualify him with Latinos, the Fox News Latino polls suggests it’s possible for Trump to make gains.
According to the poll, 62% of Latinos would still vote for a candidate whose stance on immigration is different than their own, while 29% said otherwise. And immigration was the fourth-most important issue ranked by poll respondents, who listed the economy — where Trump tends to receive his highest marks — as the top issue.
The Fox News Latino poll surveyed 886 Latino registered voters with a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points, and was conducted May 14-17.