Biden won the key voting bloc with nearly 70% in 2020, but the latest polling shows that advantage hasn’t materialized this year.
Shifting population dynamics in Pennsylvania towns like Reading and Allentown are putting the power of the Latino vote in the spotlight. As a result of these dynamics, Hispanic American voters could play an important role in the outcome of the Pennsylvania Senate race and the Presidential election.
The southeast Pennsylvania city of Reading, a former steel town and birthplace of Taylor Swift, is now majority Latino, and the population continues to grow. When it comes to the presidential election, Reading’s Latino voters are split. Citing concerns over immigration, the economy, and Biden’s age, one Latino voter who became a citizen in 2015 told the Associated Press he’ll be supporting former President Donald Trump. Others, such as Pastors Carol and Jose Pagan, have indicated they will not be supporting Trump, but are hoping President Biden will drop out and allow other Democrat candidates to take his place.
The Trump campaign has taken notice of the rising Hispanic population and recently opened a “Latino Americans for Trump” office in the city. The Reading mayor, also Latino, has “made a plea to Biden and other Democrats” to recognize how important Reading is to the state’s election results. While Biden won nearly 7 out of 10 Hispanic/Latino votes in the Keystone state in 2020, that massive advantage has failed to materialize so far this cycle according to NBC News.
In Hazleton, another steel town with an increasing Latino population, Democratic elected officials and candidates have seen first-hand the Trump campaign’s in-roads into the Latino vote. One former city council candidate told Politico that family members have moved to the right, citing the economy and abortion. The number of Latino voters across the state is more than seven times the margin Biden won the state by in 2020. Even with Biden winning Pennsylvania that year, Trump won majority-Latino districts in Hazleton he previously lost.
One hour southeast of Hazelton, in Allentown, First Lady Jill Biden campaigned with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, courting the Latino vote. In her remarks, the First Lady discussed how important education is to a growing Latino middle class. In addition to Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris was dispatched to Allentown recently to speak with Spanish-language radio host DJ VJ Mar, who believes the Latino vote “could be the deciding factor” in Pennsylvania and the race for the White House.
