Trump leads Kamala 42% to 37% among Hispanic voters over tough border policies: Reuters/lpsos poll

Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump is increasing his support among Hispanic voters as the 2024 presidential election approaches. He is outperforming his 2020 support among Hispanics, who prefer him on immigration in the 2024 race, according to a new poll.

Hispanics support Trump over Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris 42 percent to 37 percent on immigration policy in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, Fox News reported.

Among American voters as a whole, 46 percent preferred Trump on immigration vs 36 percent for Harris. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted between Aug. 21-28 of 4,253 US adults, including 3,562 registered voters and 412 Hispanic registered voters. The poll had a margin of error of 2 percent overall, and four percent for Hispanic voters.

Hispanics, characterized as a diverse and growing demographic in the United States, sided with Harris over Trump on health care, by 18 points, and climate change, by 23 points. When it comes to the economy, the poll gave the nod to Trump, with overall registered voters approving of Trump’s policies over Harris’ by 45 percent to 36 percent.

But Hispanics are equally divided on that question, giving both Trump and Harris 39 percent approval. Biden’s exit from the race may have bolstered Democratic support in this regard because in May, a Reuters/Ipsos poll had Biden behind Trump by four points among Hispanic voters when asked about economic policy.

But Trump’s numbers among Hispanics are heartening among Republicans because it’s another constituency that was once considered safe Democratic territory. Although Harris is ahead of Trump among registered Hispanic voters with a 13-point lead, Biden won their vote by 21 points in 2020, Fox News noted. Some polls had Biden capturing 65 percent of the Hispanic vote with Trump getting 35 percent.

In 2022, Census Bureau data showed Hispanics made up about 14 percent of voting-age US citizens in 2022. That was a jump from nine percent during the 2005-2009 period.

"The Latino vote is probably the most pure swing group of voters in America right now and will be for a long time," Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha told Reuters.

"Hispanics have historically strongly favored the Democratic Party, so for Trump to be breaking even with Harris on the economy has to be seen as a win for him," said Giancarlo Sopo, a Republican strategist, according to Fox News.

Recent polls indicate the presidential race is close but former President Donald Trump is now leading Harris among men by 5 percentage points, according to an ABC/Ipsos poll.