This story was first published at Colorado Newsline.
DENVER | More than 60% of Latino voters in Colorado think their civil rights have become less secure since President Donald Trump began his second term, according to survey results released Thursday from the Colorado Latino Agenda and UnidosUS.
That number is higher among women, at about 71%, but lower among men, at about 58%. There is also a stark partisan split, with 80% of Democratic Latino voters feeling their civil rights are eroding but just 26% of Republicans who think the same.
“They see immigrant families being used as scapegoats and political props, even as those same workers keep Colorado’s farms, restaurants and resorts running,” Alex Sánchez, CEO of Voces Unidas de las Montañas, said during a briefing on the survey results Thursday morning. “We see Congress failing to protect families from reckless deportations and racial profiling, and they see their reproductive rights, voting rights and civil rights under attack.”
The Colorado survey was part of a national bipartisan effort to understand where Latino voters stand about one year before the 2026 midterm elections. There was an oversample of Colorado voters. The survey was conducted between Oct. 8 and Oct. 22.
When it comes to immigration issues, 40% of voters fear arrest even though they have legal status, 35% believe the workforce is shrinking because immigrants are afraid to go to work, and 30% are more afraid to report crimes and interact with local law enforcement. About 44% said they most want elected officials to create a path to citizenship for immigrants, the most popular policy choice, followed by ensuring that immigration detention facilities are safe and humane.
The survey comes about 10 months into Trump’s second term, which has been marked by a steep increase in immigration detentions and deportations, deployments of the National Guard to Democratic-led cities and a record-breaking government shutdown over whether to extend health insurance subsidies.
Overall, economic concerns such as rising costs and stagnant wages were top of mind for voters. They cited inflation, housing costs and the economy as the top issues elected officials should address, which is similar to responses in previous years. About 45% responded that the minimum wage is too low and 45% said one job does not pay enough. Another 59% said access to affordable health insurance should be a priority for lawmakers.
Over half of Latino voters predict their economic situation will be worse in a year.
“As we head into another pivotal election cycle, data like this helps ground the conversation and what matters most to our communities,” said Dusti Gurule, the president and CEO of Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights. “It really provides us with our marching orders to continue the work.”
A generic Democrat would get 55% of the vote for a 2026 congressional race, according to the survey, compared to about 21% for a Republican. But both parties are underperforming as compared to their 2024 numbers, which could be a sign of voter discontent with the political and electoral systems, according to researcher Gary Segura.
Among Latino voters who voted for Trump in 2024, which is about 35% of the Colorado Latino electorate, 20% said they either would not vote for Trump or did not know if they would vote for him in a do-over of 2024. For comparison, there was an 8% bleed among voters who picked former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate last year.
“A 20% bleed for Trump voters should be very concerning to GOP political operatives,” Segura said.
About two-thirds of Latino voters disapprove of Trump’s job performance and disapprove of how the Republican Party is handling its majority in Congress. About 60% blame Republicans for the ongoing federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1. Additionally, 81% think Congress is ceding too much authority to Trump and should be using its checks-and-balances role more often.
About 51% of respondents said the Democratic Party cares “a great deal” about the Latino community, compared to the 27% who said the same about the Republican Party. At the same time, 43% said Democrats and 40% said Republicans don’t care too much about Latino interests. That could reflect the “alienation” Latino voters might feel from the political system, Segura said.
“While Democrats continue to hold an advantage in Colorado, it’s not guaranteed. Latino voters are pragmatic. We reward action, not party labels,” Sánchez said. “This poll should be a wake-up call, not just to Republicans, but for Democrats too.”
You know, slicing and dicing the electorate this way is overshadowing the things we have in common. The article identified inflation, housing costs, and stagnant wages as their top concerns of Latino voters -those are the same concerns everyone that is not a billionaire has! Once again, I will state that moving into the weeds to address every little issue individual people or small groups have has been a problem for Dems. The article identified some of the major issues. I believe access to good healthcare is another major issue. If Dems stick to the messaging that the majority of all people want addressed, they will have a cogent message at election time. It is quite clear that the message from the GOP is that we will inflict pain until you vote for our Big Beautiful Tax Cut For Billionaires. Then we will forget about the working stiffs because we don’t need your votes anymore! It’s our way or the highway!