Numbers say everything: More than 43 million people speak Spanish natively in the country, a figure that rises to 57 million if those who have limited knowledge are taken into account.reports the think tank The Hispanic Council coinciding with Spanish Language Day, which is celebrated on April 23.
Politicians are very aware, especially in the pre-election period, that around 19% of the population is Hispanic, that is, more than 64 million people. And every year the number increases by a million.
“We conclude that Spanish has skyrocketed in United States politics”says Daniel Ureña, president of The Hispanic Council in the report.
The Hispanic vote will be key in the November presidential elections between Democrat Joe Biden, his re-election candidate, and his Republican predecessor Donald Trump.
More than 30 million Latinos can vote in these elections, a higher number than African Americans, estimates the Pew Research Center.
But traditionally just over half go to the polls. According to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, at least 17.5 million Hispanics will do so.
– X-ray of the vote –
“The Hispanic vote is not homogeneous nor is it concentrated in a few states” but rather “it is increasingly diverse and decisive in states even with a small Hispanic population, which will be the ones that unbalance the balance on the side of the Democrats or the Republicans.” in November,” says The Hispanic Council.
The gap between the Democratic and Republican votes among Hispanics continues to narrow.
“Democrats have controlled 65-70% of the Hispanic vote over the last two decades, leaving Republicans at figures close to 30%,” but that distance is decreasing and in the 2022 midterm elections “Democrats fell to 60%.” % and the Republicans managed to gain 40% of the Hispanic vote,” the report maintains.
That is why “Spanish is a tool available to politicians to mobilize that vote in their favor,” he adds.
Especially during the last few years.
Source: With information from AFP
