Inflation is Primary Motivator for Florida’s Hispanic Voters in 2022 Midterm Elections

'We prospered so much under the previous administration,' one voter said

A bilingual sign stands outside a polling center at a public library ahead of local elections in Austin, Texas, on April 28, 2013. John Moore/Getty Images

Hispanic voters say inflation is the primary factor influencing their votes in the 2022 midterms.

On Nov. 3, UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, and Mi Familia Vota, a national civic engagement organization, held a virtual forum to discuss the top issues influencing Hispanic voters nationally (pdf) as well as in states like Florida (pdf).

Florida attorney and political consultant in Latin America, María Herrera Mellado. Courtesy of María Herrera Mellado

Nationally, 46 percent of Latino voters cited inflation and the rising cost of living as their biggest concerns. In Florida, 53 percent said the same.

When asked what they thought specifically when citing inflation and the rising cost of living as their primary concern, 85 percent of Latino voters on a national level said, “food and basic living expenses have gone up a lot,” and 81 percent said, “gas prices are too high.” In Florida, those numbers are 87 percent and 82 percent, respectively.

As reported by The Epoch Times, the historically blue stronghold of Miami-Dade County is seeing a dramatic loss of Democrat voters in the Hispanic community.

According to María Herrera Mellado, an attorney in Miami, this exodus has been inspired primarily by the discontent in the Hispanic community with the current administration. She also said Hispanic grievances with the Biden administration will be reflected in their votes during the 2022 midterms.

“The economy is the number one factor in the Hispanic community because we prospered so much under the previous administration,” Mellado told The Epoch Times, noting how gas prices were also “very low,” and they were able to save money to travel or purchase a new home.

Victor De la Flor, a Miami attorney. Courtesy of Victor De la Flor

“Now we’ve seen all of that vanish,” she said. “We don’t have any more money. We saw our savings shrink. That’s an issue.”

According to Mellado, the inability of members of the Hispanic community to engage in family activities, like investing in a family business or being able to “travel together and prosper together” is “definitely the number one topic” on the minds of Hispanic voters.

For Victor De la Flor, also an attorney in Miami, the high cost of food is a factor.

“When you go to the supermarket, the prices are high. So you can feel it on a day-to-day basis,” he said. Rather than “trying to discredit Republicans and dividing the country,” he believes the Biden administration should focus on solving the country’s economic problems.

María Lorca Susino, a professor at the University of Miami, says “inflation affects the middle and lower class income earners more than the upper income families,” which is where most Hispanics sit economically, she said.

“We have fixed salaries,” Susina told The Epoch Times. “So when inflation goes up 8 percent and my salary is fixed, I have been negatively impacted. This is the reason why this is a top issue in the Hispanic community.”

María Lorca Susino, professor at the University of Miami. Courtesy of Maria Lorca Susin