Ahead of NV Caucus and Primary, Cost of Living and Jobs Are Top of Mind for the State’s Latino Electorate

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Washington, DC — Latinos represent 1 of every 4 voters in the battleground state of Nevada, where the presidential margin of victory in 2020 was 2.7 percentage points. As they did then, Hispanic voters will play a defining role in the state and national political landscape, underscoring the need for candidates to address the issues that are top-of-mind for these voters.  

Heading into the caucus and primary, cost of living and jobs are the top concerns, according to a recent poll by UnidosUS of Nevada’s Hispanic Electorate—part of the largest poll of Hispanic voters this cycle. Those results are available in the UnidosUS Hispanic Electorate Data Hub, a multidimensional platform providing data and insights on this electorate spanning the last two decades. 

Clarissa Martinez De Castro, Vice President of the UnidosUS Latino Vote Initiative emphasizes the critical role Hispanics will continue to play in shaping Nevada’s political landscape, noting “Nearly 90% of registered Latinos in the state voted in 2020. Continued work to close the registration gap is critical, with over 200,000 eligible Latino Nevadans in need of registration. And outreach is essential, as we estimate that 1 in 5 Latinos in Nevada will be voting in a federal election for the first time in 2024.” 

On The Issues  

  • Economy: Four of the top five concerns for Nevada’s Hispanic voters are dominated by economic and pocketbook issues, specifically inflation and the rising cost of living, jobs, affordable housing, and healthcare. 
  • Gun violence: Remains among the top five issues, doing so for the first time in 2022.  
  • Abortion: 76% of Nevada’s Latino voters continue to oppose efforts to make it illegal or to take that decision away from others, no matter their own personal beliefs on the issue.  
  • Immigration: Immigration remains a priority issue in Nevada (ranked as sixth top issue). Providing a path to citizenship for DACA recipients and other immigrants with long-standing ties in the country are the two big policies Latino voters want to see advanced on this issue.  

On Voting  

  • In 2024, 19% of Nevada’s Latinos will be voting in a presidential election for the first time.  
  • 36% of Nevada’s Hispanic electorate is composed of new voters since Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced off in 2016.  

Read the Full Survey.