Latino

Poll: Castro in top 5 2020 Dems among Latino voters

by Rafael Bernal - 04/17/19 12:24 PM ET

A new poll of registered Hispanic voters shows former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro among the top five 2020 Democratic presidential contenders.

The poll, conducted in English and Spanish by polling firm Latino Decisions and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), otherwise shows results similar to polls among all voters.

Among Latino registered voters surveyed, former Vice President Joe Biden had the highest favorability number at 59 percent, followed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) at 58 percent, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke at 48 percent, Castro at 45 percent and California Sen. Kamala Harris at 43 percent.

Castro had the lowest unfavorability number among Hispanics, at 18 percent. The other 12 candidates tested ranged in unfavorability from 19 percent to 30 percent, in the case of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

Castro is the only Hispanic currently running for president.

Latino voters will play a key role in the early 2020 Democratic primaries, as the early March Super Tuesday contests will feature California and Texas, the two states with the largest Latino populations.

Castro, a former Housing and Urban Development secretary under President Obama, has been struggling to stay in the top 10 of an ample and growing Democratic field.

The Castro campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.

Biden and Sanders hold early leads in most polls, and upstarts O’Rourke and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg have made inroads both in fundraising and in polling.

In the Latino Decisions/NALEO poll, Buttigieg placed ninth in favorability ratings, with 31 percent of respondents viewing him positively.

The poll also shows most registered Latino voters intend to vote in 2020, and are likely to overwhelmingly favor a Democratic challenger over President Trump.

Hispanic registered voters have historically been more or less as likely to vote as registered voters from other demographic groups, but the Hispanic community lags in voter registration.

A wide majority of poll respondents, 84 percent, said they would probably or almost certainly vote in 2020. Only 6 percent said they probably or definitely would not vote.