Jennifer Nuno, a mother of an 11-year old son, checks his back-to school haircut in the Lincoln Village area of Milwaukee on Tuesday August 21.
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Jennifer Nuno, a mother of an 11-year old boy in Milwaukee’s Lincoln Village neighborhood on August 21, checks his back-to school haircut.
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MILWAUKEE – Jennifer Nuno voted for President Biden because she thought he’d bring more decency back to the White House.
It hasn’t turned out the way the Latino mother of two hoped.
Speaking over the TVs turned to a Spanish-language telenovela, Nuno volunteered why she was unhappy with the president as her 11-year-old got a back-to-school haircut.
The 30-year-old esthetician sits on a set of benches alongside other parents at this hair salon in Lincoln Village, a Milwaukee neighborhood where it’s about as common to be greeted in Spanish as it is in English.
She appreciates Biden’s work on student loans but says she questions what practical differences he’s made here – for the larger Latino community in Milwaukee.
And like many Americans, she worries about the high cost of gas and groceries. She said, “I don’t think anything will change.” “I mean, we’re where we are now. “
She’s not sure if she’ll vote for Biden again.
Republicans see an opening with Latino voters
Nuno is among a group of Latino voters living in Milwaukee’s south side who Republicans hope to make inroads with. The party has invested a lot in Milwaukee and Wisconsin in general in order to win the battleground in 2024.
The first GOP presidential debate, hosted by FOX News in Milwaukee on August 23, featured the Republican candidates for president.
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The first GOP primary debate, hosted by FOX news at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on August 23, featured Republican presidential candidates.
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Wisconsin is not known for the power of its Latino vote, but in a state with such tiny margins even a small shift can have a big impact on national politics.
Most Latinos are not “committed Democratic ideologues,” explained Ben Marquez, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Marquez, a specialist in Latino Studies, said that Republicans don’t have to win the Latino votes. They just need to take out a large chunk of the traditional Democratic votes. He notes that there are over 180,000 Latinos who are eligible but not registered in the state.
Biden was the winner of Wisconsin in 2020 by fewer than 25,000 votes. Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 with a similar number of votes. According to Charles Franklin, a pollster from Marquette University Law School, Latinos’ support for Biden dropped 6 to 10 percentage points in Milwaukee’s heavily Latino-populated wards. “In that sense, Milwaukee Hispanic wards have shifted.” Franklin explained that the shifts were similar to those in Florida and Texas.
Hilario Deleon, the chairman of Milwaukee County Republican Party. Speaking on August 23, he is attempting to motivate Latino voters in the city towards Republican candidates.
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Hilario Deléon is the chairman of Milwaukee County Republican Party. Speaking on August 23, he is trying to energize Latino voters in the city towards Republican candidates.
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Hilario Deléon, the chairman of the Milwaukee County Republican Party, has been walking through Lincoln Village and other minorities neighborhoods to show that conservatives can offer more on important issues for the community. He mentions specifically jobs and high prices for food. Deleon is a Latino with Latino roots. He said that recent trends have shown that Hispanics are becoming more conservative.
Democrats confident, but cautious, on Latino voters
Democrats and Latino activists are still confident that they will win on policy.
Voces de la Frontera Action has been conducting extensive outreach, registering new voters and increasing participation across the city and state.
Executive Director Christine Neumann-Ortiz points to the Latino turnout and reelection of Democratic Governor Tony Evers as a testament to their efforts. She also mentions the election earlier this year of a progressive judge on the state Supreme Court. Neumann-Ortiz stated that she would be worried about Republican outreach, if it was happening in an ad hoc manner. But unless they alter their political stances on immigration and workers’ rights, they won’t make any inroads. “
Democrats might know that they’ll win the Latino vote. Especially with so many young Latinos entering adulthood. The question is whether they will be able to retain enough voters in order to keep the state a blue one. Neumann-Ortiz is confident Democrats can keep the margin in the party’s favor because it has that advantage on policy, plus a growing demographic advantage. Neumann-Ortiz stated that by 2020, there will be 18,000 Latinos who are U.S. Citizens and have reached the age of 18. This is the difference between the two parties’ margins of victory in statewide elections. “
“I used to very liberal: Latinos weigh options
Mario Juarez is a student, small business owner and a Milwaukee resident. He spoke about his new politics on August 21, 2018.
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Mario Jaurez, a student, small business owner and entrepreneur, speaks about his political views in Milwaukee, on August 21st.
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Mario is a 24 year old college student. He is also Latino and homosexual, but says that he should not be placed in any particular voting bloc. He runs a landscape architectural company. He is also concerned with what he calls Biden’s ‘woke agenda’ and the administrations efforts to elevate a gender ideology. He also has concerns about Biden’s “woke” agenda, and the efforts of the administration to promote a gender-based ideology. “I think that I have opened my mind more recently and really examined my core values and my identity as a human being. “
Juarez feels his core values align more with Republican Party right now. She hasn’t yet heard of any. She said, “If Republicans make some good arguments, I am open to voting for Republicans.” But it has to be convincing enough to make me choose them. “