US Latino voters are shifting right — is that the case in Utah?

SALT LAKE CITY — As a political consultant, Alejandro Puy can see how both the Democratic and Republican party platforms could appeal to Latino voters.

The right's emphasis on lifting yourself up and individualism resonates with many Latinos, especially immigrants, who were able to start from nothing and attain success, while the left's focus on creating a safety net for struggling communities also connects with many Latinos.

"I believe that, in general, the platform of the Democratic Party is more adequate for Latinos and for minorities because it reflects our challenges. ... It doesn't mean that the Republican Party platform is wrong," said Puy, who also serves as a member of the Salt Lake City Council. "It's about priorities, and we (all) have different prioritizations for what is important and what is not."

Latino voter trends have been a hot topic of discussion at the national level. But in Utah, Latino voters have gotten less attention — despite making up 9% of eligible voters, according to 2020 data from the Pew Research Center. Puy said part of that may be due to lower voter turnout among Utah Latinos, which can be linked to apathy and barriers like language access.

"Sometimes politics feel superfluous when you have those issues in front of you. When you have two or three jobs and you're trying to balance it all and take care of your kid — it is a lot," Puy said. "And to think about electing a municipal council member or a governor, it feels like it's not going to affect my life right now and I shouldn't worry about it."

That lower voter turnout has a ripple effect when it comes to how campaigns approach Latino voters.

"Both parties have limited resources, and they're focusing the resources on the high voter turnout areas," Puy said, adding that current efforts from both parties to reach Utahn Latinos are more of an afterthought. "We need campaigns from all levels to have this tradition that they need to earn our support, they need to come to our door, they need to spend their time and their money in reaching out and making materials that connect with us."

He said changing that culture will be a multi-year, multi-campaign effort: "Our communities need a voice and they need to show that voice for whatever party, whatever candidate. They just need to be present."

Political consultant Richard Jaramillo said there are a couple of factors that influence Latino voters in Utah, including geography and, for immigrants, country of origin. He said many immigrant Latinos are attracted to Utah by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a demographic that tends to lean conservative, as many refugees and asylum seekers from Central and South America do.

Salt Lake and Weber counties, however, have a majority of Latino voters voting for Democrats, he said.

"We've seen that from races that have done the polling work, that can afford it to do the polling work," he said. "But those numbers do drop, particularly in Utah County. So geographically and based on why people are here, that tends to change the equation a little bit."

Picking a party

David Hurtado immigrated from Venezuela to Utah over a decade ago. He's a constitutional conservative, but says he votes Republican.

"Nowadays, everything that the Democrat Party is standing up for looks a lot similar to what we have in Venezuela," he said. "Here, it's more of an undercover socialism, but I can see everything going down the road of bigger government, bigger everything, and a welfare state. That is a formula that got us not only Venezuela but most of our Latin America countries down the road we are right now. And that's why I just cannot get behind the Democrat Party right now."

Venezuelans are often highlighted as one of the factors in the rightward shift. An estimated 20,000 Venezuelans live in Utah. But Jesler Molina, Alianza Venezolana de Utah director, said the population likely isn't swaying elections, at least not yet.

"Not a lot of Venezuelans in Utah are allowed to vote yet," he said. "But the trend of Venezuelans leaning more conservative, yes, that's still trending in Utah for the vast majority of Venezuelans who are able to vote in the state."

Arturo Morales, Utah Republican Latino Coalition chair, believes Utah Latinos in general are starting to shift right politically.

"The Latino community is finally waking up," Morales said, adding that Democratic stances on border security and abortion, combined with rising inflation, are helping drive that change. "I think the Latino community is finally realizing that Democrats like to talk about Hispanics and how much they love and support them, (but) when it comes down to actual policies that will help minorities, they don't really care."

Antonio Guerra, a Mexican immigrant who's lived in Utah since the late 1970s, agrees. He said is a big supporter of Trump and the Republican Party.

"I have my principles and my values, and right now the principles and the values are with the Republican Party," he said. "Latinos, we will support Donald Trump and his followers — all over the United States, even in Mexico."

Eva Lopez, chairwoman at the Salt Lake County Democratic Party, said she believes Utah Latinos are more likely to lean left.

"We have to view these people as complex in their voting and experiences. Not as a monolithic voting block," she said. "Utah being majority conservative in its representation, we see lots of people using their vote to moderate the extremism in their communities. I believe Latino voters in Utah will lean toward more leftist policies and politicians because of this factor."

Amanda Perez, a Dominican marketing manager in Utah County, identifies as a Democrat. Although she likes most of the party's approaches to social issues, she feels like it has failed the country.

"It's hard to not find myself awfully disappointed with politics as the years go by," she said. "Extremism is the enemy of action. Rather than trying to incorporate measures that would do the most good, we are constantly focused on who has the better argument. I know that the idea of a perfect party is impossible, but it would be nice to feel like politicians are more concerned with doing the most good than being the most right."

Choosing the middle ground

For some Latinos, neither party is a good fit.

Film producer Bryson Alejandro was born and raised in Utah to a Colombian mother. Throughout his teens and young adulthood, he affiliated with the Republican Party, but during the 2016 election, Trumpism shifted his political views. Today, he identifies as more of a moderate.

"The political field has shifted and changed and there's extremism on both sides," he said. "At the end of the day, Utah just disappoints me. That's kind of harsh, but Utah's obviously very religious, very Christian — and I'm like how are we not voting in a way that supports those values?"

Nastacha Alvarado, a Puerto Rican BYU student, doesn't identify with a specific political party, either. She said her membership in the Church of Jesus Christ and the opportunity to meet a wide range of people have shaped her political ideology.

"I think there's more to right or left in making policies and it's frustrating to me that people think they need to be one extreme or another," she said, adding that she currently leans more liberal than conservative. "I wish I understood better everything that is going on on a state level because I feel more informed about federal politics than state. I think that both parties have enormous room for improvement."

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