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Pence to launch ‘Latinos for Trump’ as new polling shows most Hispanics want a Democrat to be president

Vice President Mike Pence is traveling to Florida on Tuesday to launch a national "Latinos for Trump" initiative in a bid to bolster support for the Republican ticket at time when new polling shows large majorities of Hispanics favoring the election of a Democrat next year.

FILE - In this May 25, 2016, file photo, a man holds up a sign for then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump before the start of a rally at the Anaheim Convention Center, Wednesday, May 25, 2016, in Anaheim, Calif. Republicans are holding onto a steady share of the Latino vote in the Trump era. With a president who targets immigrants from Latin America, some analysts predicted a Latino backlash against the GOP. But it hasn’t happened. Data from AP’s VoteCast survey suggests Republicans are holding on to support from Latino evangelicals and veterans. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - In this May 25, 2016, file photo, a man holds up a sign for then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump before the start of a rally at the Anaheim Convention Center, Wednesday, May 25, 2016, in Anaheim, Calif. Republicans are holding onto a steady share of the Latino vote in the Trump era. With a president who targets immigrants from Latin America, some analysts predicted a Latino backlash against the GOP. But it hasn’t happened. Data from AP’s VoteCast survey suggests Republicans are holding on to support from Latino evangelicals and veterans. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)Read moreJae C. Hong / AP
    by John Wagner, Washington Post
    Published 

Vice President Mike Pence is traveling to Florida on Tuesday to launch a national "Latinos for Trump" initiative in a bid to bolster support for the Republican ticket at time when new polling shows large majorities of Hispanics favoring the election of a Democrat next year.

Pence is scheduled to appear later Tuesday morning in Miami, the city that is hosting the first of the Democratic presidential debates this week. Florida, home to more 2 million Hispanic registered voters, is a key state for Trump's reelection fortunes next year.

Pence and other Republicans appearing at the event are expected to emphasize economic data showing gains for Latinos during the Trump administration.

"Under @realDonaldTrump more Hispanic Americans are working today than ever before in history & Hispanic Americans are starting new businesses at nearly 3 times the national average!" Pence said in a tweet Friday morning.

The administration's immigration policies, however, have drawn widespread criticism from the Hispanic community, as has President Donald Trump's harsh rhetoric on the issue.

Over the weekend, Trump called off advertised raids in several large cities that he had said would serve to remove "the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States." His administration's practice of separating migrant families at the southern border proved highly unpopular.

And Trump also sparred with officials in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria about a federal response that many on the island and elsewhere viewed as less robust than those in hurricane-damaged states on the mainland.

Polling released this week by Telemundo showed Trump facing head winds among Hispanic voters in several states.

In Florida, only 34% of Hispanic voters would like to see Trump reelected, while 56% would prefer to replace him with a Democrat, according to the survey conducted by Mason-Dixon Strategies.

The numbers were even less favorable to Trump elsewhere.

In California, 26% of Hispanic voters would like to see Trump reelected, while 66% would prefer a Democrat. In Texas, 25% would like to see him returned to office, while 69% want a Democrat. And in the New York metro area, 19% want Trump reelected, while 73% prefer a Democrat.

Republicans involved in the "Latinos for Trump" initiative say they are hopeful that he can build on his performance among Hispanics in 2016.

Trump won 28% of the Latino vote nationally in that election, according to exit polling, while Democrat Hillary Clinton won 66%.

During a television appearance Tuesday morning, Florida Lt. Gov. Jeannette Nunez, R, argued that Trump's record would help him next year.

“I think the past three years under President Trump speaks volumes to the great work he’s done for the Latino community,” she said. “If you look at the data . . . record low unemployment for Latinos, record high median income, home ownership. . . . Everything points to promises made, promises kept.”