Poll: Thumbs down on Trump

Two-thirds of Florida Hispanics disapprove

President Donald Trump is in trouble with Florida Hispanics, a group that’s long been largely in sync with Republicans, with a poll released Wednesday finding two-thirds disapprove of his performance.

The Latino Victory Project/Latino Decisions poll found 64 percent of Hispanic adults in Florida disapprove of Trump’s performance. Just 36 percent approve.

While Trump is underwater among Florida Hispanics, with a net negative of 28 points, he’s faring slightly better in the Sunshine State than nationally. The same organization’s national polling found 76 percent of Hispanics nationwide disapprove of Trump’s performance and 24 percent approve — for a net negative of 52 points.

Many Hispanics think Trump is doing a worse job than they expected. Few think he’s doing better than expected.

Among Florida Hispanics surveyed, 42 percent said Trump is doing worse than expected. Nationally, 59 percent said he’s doing worse than expected.

Just 14 percent of Florida Hispanics said Trump is doing a better job than expected. Nationally, 8 percent said he’s doing better than expected.

Trump is doing “as expected,” in the view of 44 percent of Florida Hispanics and 33 percent of Hispanics nationally.

Asked how things are going in the country, 43 percent in Florida said they’re on the right track and 57 percent said things are on the wrong track. Nationally, 32 percent said

right track and 68 percent said wrong track. That’s 14 points negative in Florida and 36 points nationally.

There are some caveats: Leaders of the Latino Victory Project and Latino Decisions organizations who released the results on Wednesday have done work for Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 election to Trump. And they were joined on a telephone press conference by two Florida Democrats: U.S. Rep. Darren Soto from Orlando and Annette Taddeo, who won a special election in Miami-Dade County last week for the Florida Senate.

Soto, the state’s first Puerto Rican member of Congress, and Taddeo, the first female Hispanic Democrat elected to the state Senate, hope the findings buttress their view that their party is poised to make 2018 election inroads among Hispanics, thinking voters may be inclined to punish Republicans over dissatisfaction with Trump.

“This poll is significant because it’s proof that President Trump and the Republican Party are alienating Latinos of all backgrounds and all political stripes,” Soto said. “An attack on one of us is going to be an attack on all of us, and that’s starting to resonate with people.”

Democrats were heartened by the results of the Taddeo race, with many hoping there are implications for Miami-Dade County congressional districts the Democrats hope to wrest from Hispanic Republicans in 2018. And Taddeo said the Hispanic community in Florida is “energized and engaged.”

Republican Carlos Reyes said it’s too early to draw conclusions about what Hispanic voters will do next year.

“The environment is one that’s in a state of flux in politics generally. I wouldn’t give much weight to anything that’s 13 months out. The myriad of circumstances evolve and change quickly from one incident to another,” he said. “I think the Hispanic community will ultimately select candidates on their merit.”

Reyes, who is CubanAmerican, is seeking his party’s nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the Broward/MiamiDade County 23rd Congressional District next year.

Soto said it’s only going to get worse for Republicans, citing the “terrible tweets kicking the Puerto Rican people while they’re down.” The poll was conducted before Trump lashed out at the mayor of San Juan for criticizing his administration’s Hurricane Maria recovery efforts.

Attitudes

Still, Florida Hispanics are more positive about the Republicans than Hispanics surveyed nationally as shown in the percentages who agree with these statements:

I generally agree with the Republican Party on most issues and am likely to vote for them in future elections. Florida, 21 percent. Nationally, 12 percent.

I disagree with the Republican Party on many issues, but I would consider voting for them in the future if they help pass immigration reform with a path to citizenship. Florida, 27 percent. Nationally, 26 percent.

The Republican Party has now become so anti-Latino and anti-immigrant that it would be hard for me to ever consider supporting them in the future. Florida, 35 percent. Nationally, 41 percent

Would you say the Democratic Party is currently doing a good job of reaching out to Hispanics/Latinos? Florida, 33 percent. Nationally, 38 percent.

Would you say the Republican Party is currently doing a good job of reaching out to Hispanics/Latinos? Florida, 16 percent. Nationally, 11 percent.

Issues

Dreamers: Trump’s move to end the deferred action for childhood arrivals program, known as DACA, that allowed people who came to the U.S. illegally as children to remain in the country is unpopular among Hispanics in Florida and nationally.

Among Florida Hispanics, 70 percent disagreed with Trump’s decision to end DACA, and 30 percent agreed. Nationally, 79 percent disagreed with Trump’s action and 21 percent agreed.

The so-called Dream Act, legislation that would put the status of dreamers in law and provide a path to citizenship, is seen as a good idea by 89 percent of Florida Hispanics and a bad idea by 11 percent. Nationally, 91 percent of Hispanics see passage of the Dream Act as a good idea and 9 percent as a bad idea.

The wall: Building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border was a central theme of Trump’s campaign. But it is unpopular with Hispanics in Florida and nationally.

Construction of a 50-foot wall is seen as a bad idea by 68 percent of Florida Hispanics and a good idea by 32 percent. Nationally 77 percent said the wall is a bad idea and 23 percent said it is a good idea.

Arpaio pardon: Trump’s controversial pardon of former Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was notorious for racial profiling of Hispanics, is also unpopular with Hispanics in Florida and across the nation.

Among Florida Hispanics, 76 percent disagreed with Trump’s decision to pardon Arpaio and 24 percent agreed. Nationally, 82 percent disagreed and 18 percent disagreed.

Fine print

Latino Decisions conducted the polling online, in both English and Spanish. Online polling isn’t universally accepted by polling experts, but its use is becoming more common among political and academic organizations.

In Florida, the poll surveyed 369 Hispanic adults from Sept. 12 to 20. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

The nationwide survey asked the same questions of 755 Latino adults from Sept. 12 to 19. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.