Harris, Rosen hold sizeable leads among Nevada Latino voters, poll says

A poll among registered Latino voters in Nevada showed Vice President Kamala Harris with a lead of 18 percentage points over former President Donald Trump, whose campaign had previously gained ground with this sought-out electorate.

The two-week survey — conducted by BSP Research— questioned 400 registered voters each in Nevada and south Texas, according to Entravision, the media, marketing and technology company that commissioned it.

The questionnaire began three days after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris.

In comparison, a poll by TelevisaUnivision Consumer Strategy & Insights, conducted days before Biden’s politically disastrous debate performance in June showed Trump trailing within the margin of error.

In a tight race in a battleground state like Nevada, Latino voters — who comprise 20 percent of overall voters — have the potential to swing elections.

Rosen leading, too

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, led her Republican challenger, veteran Sam Brown, by similar margins among Latino voters polled, 53 percent to 22 percent, according to Entravision.

The poll’s statistical margin of error stood at plus or minus 4.9 percent, according to Entravision.

Asked how likely they expect to cast a ballot, 62 percent of Latinos in Nevada and Texas said they were “almost certain” they would, yet, more than half expressed that they don’t have “all the information” they need, Entravision said.

Harris is viewed more favorably than Biden or Trump. And the vice president leads in head-to-head match-ups among all Latino demographics, except independents, who prefer the former president by 2 percentage points, according to to the poll.

“Harris’ strengths with Latino voters include: her position on abortion rights, electability, and personal qualities (being a professional, woman of color, daughter of immigrants),” pollsters said.

Latinos in Nevada expressed overwhelming support (51 percent to 22 percent) for the state’s “Right to Abortion” ballot initiative, the poll determined.

However, the top issues cited by Nevada Latinos were related to the economy, housing, gun violence and health care costs, pollsters said.

Latino outreach

Campaigns can improve their outreach to the Latino communities, according to the poll. In Nevada, 51 percent of those questioned want to hear more from the presidential hopefuls, compared to the 54 percent who want to learn more about the Senate candidates.

Half of those surveyed in both states said that they’ve changed their mind on candidates based on ads, while 66 percent said they “sought more information about a particular candidate as a result of advertising.”

The poll outlined vulnerabilities for both presidential candidates among Latinos surveyed in both states.

Fifty-nine percent said that they are “worried about Project 2025 if Donald Trump is elected,” including 57 percent of independents.

Trump has disavowed the right-wing governing agenda, whose authors include people who had served in his presidential administration.

About 55 percent agreed with a statement that Trump “should not be elected due to his role in the January 6th insurrection,” the poll concluded.

Still, 46 and 44 percent of Latinos surveyed viewed Trump’s economic and immigration policies favorable, respectively.

“Harris has easily improved Democratic prospects, but has some vulnerabilities among Latino voters,” pollsters said.

While the majority of Latinos said they think Harris has a better chance of defeating Trump than Biden, only 28 percent of them said they felt “very well informed” about her proposed policies, compared with 36 percent who expressed the same thing about Trump.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.