On Monday, the United States observed the federal holiday of Columbus Day, although the Twitter accounts for the White House, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris all failed to acknowledge as much. Vice President Harris chose to only commemorate Indigenous Peoples' Day from her accounts.
The White House did issue proclamations for both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day last Friday, but neither were promoted over social media. Whatever the reason for such a snub, the issue goes deeper than that. It especially spells bad news for the Biden-Harris administration.
Bienvenido and WPA Intelligence on Monday tweeted the findings of their poll, which found that Hispanics approved of Christopher Columbus more than Biden and Harris. The poll surveyed 1,086 Hispanics in the United States from October 4-6, just before Columbus Day.
While Columbus enjoyed a majority of support from respondents, at 53 percent, just a plurality of Hispanics supported Biden and Harris, at 49 percent and 45 percent, respectively. Columbus also had a much higher net favorable, at +29, while Biden was at +7 and Harris was only at +4.
WPA Intelligence tweeted out a suggestion that those who came up with "Latinx" and assume that Hispanics don't like Columbus should ask the demographic more about issues.
We conducted a national poll of Hispanics for @bienvenido_us.
— WPA Intelligence (@WPAIntel) October 10, 2022
We’re not surprised the same people who came up with “Latinx” think Hispanics don’t like Christopher Columbus — and got it wrong.
Have y’all considered asking Hispanics how they feel about issues? 🤔 https://t.co/bc3krxcOJ8
When it comes to "Latinx," just 2 percent of Hispanics use the term, according to poll results released last December by Bendixen & Amandi International, described by POLITICO as "a top Democratic firm specializing in Latino outreach."
Also last December, NBC News published "Many Latinos say 'Latinx' offends or bothers them. Here's why" by Luisita Lopez Torregrosa, described as an "author and cultural critic." The outlet had been covering the term for years prior too. "Is 'Latinx' elitist? Some push back at the word's growing use," read a headline from March 2019.
Just like woksters have tried to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day, so have they tried to make "Latinx" happen.
The poll also underscores the larger issue of how Biden and Harris are losing support among Hispanics, once considered a key voting bloc for Democrats, especially when it comes to politicians and organizations assuming the diverse demographic can be appealed to by prioritizing the immigration issue.
Last week, Matt highlighted how "The Hispanic Voter Dam Is About to Break and Democrats Are Not Ready for It," referring to Biden's support among the demographic as "atrocious."
Recent polls also show Biden's approval ratings with Hispanics underwater.
A poll from The Economist/YouGov conducted October 1-4 found that just 38 percent of Hispanic voters approve of the job Biden is doing, while 43 percent disapprove. The poll overall gave Biden an approval rating of 43 percent, among 1,500 adults. Hispanic respondents also had the largest amount of those undecided, with 19 percent saying so. Hispanics were also the least likely demographic to say they "strongly approve" of Biden, with just 9 percent saying so.
A POLITICO/Morning Consult poll found that just 43 percent of Hispanic respondents approved of the job Biden was doing, while a majority, at 53 percent, disapproved. Biden's approval rating among the overall 2,005 registered voters was at 42 percent while 56 percent disapproved. That poll was conducted September 30-October 2.
A Marist poll of adults and registered voters conducted September 27-29 found that just 39 percent of Latino respondents approved of the job Biden was doing, while a majority, at 52 percent, disapproved. Overall, 44 percent of adults and 45 percent of registered voters approved of Biden.
These findings aren't new, but rather serve to show it has been a trend for Biden to lose support among Hispanics. Much was made Biden's support cratering among the key demographic in May and June of this year. Republicans certainly didn't that for granted, as May was when House Republicans launched their Hispanic Leadership Trust (HLT).
That First Lady Jill Biden spoke at a "Latinx" event in July and was forced to apologize for her remarks referring to the Hispanic community as being "as distinct as the bodegas of the Bronx, as beautiful as the blossoms of Miami, and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio," doesn't seem to have helped. It's worth mentioning that that apology came in the form of a tweet from her press secretary.
Polls also reflect those Republican gains ahead of the November midterms, now just four weeks away. An NBC News/Telemundo poll released earlier this month found that the Democratic edge with Hispanic voters is tightening.
As Madeline highlighted in her write-up of the poll:
When respondents were asked which party they’d like to see in control of Congress after the midterms, 54 percent of Latino voters picked Democrats. Thirty-three percent went with Republicans.
According to the New York Post, the 21-point edge is down from a 26-point lead in October 2020, 34 points from October 2016, and 42 points from October 2012.
Headlines in recent weeks have also acknowledged that Republicans may be making headway with Hispanic voters. This even includes Jonathan Weisman with The New York Times, who earlier on Tuesday wrote "Dozens of Candidates of Color Give House Republicans a Path to Diversity."
Even while Democrats may still overall have Hispanic support, a piece last month from Sehr Taneja for Katie Couric Media about "How the Latino Vote Could Influence the Midterm Elections" included a sub headline that "It’s not good news for the Democrats."
In it, Taneja highlights a shift due to "Treating Latinos as a monolith," the "Level of investment" and the "Failure to deliver on promises."
Such voters could especially impact swing state races, in Nevada especially. Matt had also highlighted how "Nevada Dems Just Got a Brutal Wake-Up Call From Latino Voters." This is especially bad news for Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Gov. Steve Sisolak (D-NV), both who are particularly vulnerable Democrats who could very well lose their "toss-up" seats.