Latino voters cite affordability, economy as top concerns in new poll

Exclusive Politics Latino voters cite affordability, economy as top concerns in new poll ahead of 2026 midterm elections By Nidia Cavazos, Fin Daniel Gómez Fin Daniel Gómez Political Director and Executive Director of Politics and White House, CBS News Fin Daniel Gómez is CBS News' political director and executive director, Politics and White House. In this role, Gómez oversees the daily White House and political coverage for CBS News and works closely with Washington bureau leadership to inform the Network's political coverage. Read Full Bio Fin Daniel Gómez Updated on: November 3, 2025 / 2:29 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google A sweeping new survey of 3,000 registered Latino voters across the country finds that economic anxiety continues to dominate the political mood heading into the 2026 midterm elections, with cost of living, jobs, and housing far outpacing other issues as top priorities for the nation's second-largest voting bloc.The new survey finds that while immigration is still important to this increasingly swing electorate, it's not the top issue. It ranks fifth, behind affordability, jobs and other kitchen table issues.According to the Unidos Bipartisan Poll of Hispanic Voters: The Road to 2026, first obtained by CBS News, 53% of Latino voters cite the cost of living and inflation as their leading concern, followed by jobs and the economy (36%), housing (32%), health care (30%) and immigration reform (20%). More than one-third say the economy is worse than it was a year ago, while just 14% believe it has improved.Pocketbook concerns dominate nearly every measure of voter sentiment. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Latino voters surveyed say President Trump and congressional Republicans are not doing enough to improve the economy — a 5-point increase since April — and half of respondents believe Mr. Trump's economic policies will make them personally worse off next year. The perception of declining econ...