We\u2019re paying more but getting less.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFor years, consultants in Washington, D.C., have tried to \u201cdecode\u201d Latino voters like we\u2019re some kind of enigma that can be solved with polling tabulations. But if they actually spent time in our working-class neighborhoods, or if they listened at our kitchen tables and job sites, then they\u2019d understand something simple and profound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Latinos believe in America\u2019s promise that through hard work and faith, you can build a better life for your family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s the same dream my mother carried when she came to this country: not to ask for a handout, but to lend a hand. She wanted what millions of immigrants have always wanted \u2014 a fair shot to work hard, build something better and give her children a chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Latino voters, and for most working families in this country, it\u2019s always been about the economy \u2014 the real economy that shows up on rent day and at the grocery store. The results from last week\u2019s elections made that clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Democrats focus on the economy \u2014 on helping families not just get by but get ahead and dream big \u2014 we win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know because that\u2019s how I won a state that Donald Trump carried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I talked to Latino voters, I talked about bringing money home, about buying that big-ass truck, about starting a business and building something of your own. Because that\u2019s what the American dream looks like in our communities: dignity earned through work, and pride built through progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s exactly what Democrats like Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger in Virginia \u2014 whom I campaigned with \u2014 understood, and why they won overwhelmingly with Latino voters this year. They focused on making life more affordable, on growing the middle class and on fighting for families who do their part and deserve to get ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump and Republicans made inroads with Latinos in 2024 by selling the lie that they\u2019d bring down prices, create jobs and make life easier for working families. And many Latinos, including some of the families I grew up with, wanted to believe that someone in power finally understood their struggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when you look at President Trump\u2019s record, the results tell a different story. Republicans passed a budget that handed massive tax breaks to billionaires while cutting health care for millions of families. They raised costs for working people, and they deepened the divide in our country. Now their inaction will cause 24 million Americans to see their health insurance premiums skyrocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And for many Latino families, those economic burdens are made worse by the fear that comes from being targeted because of who we are or how we look. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have detained parents on their way to work, stopped people outside schools and torn apart families who\u2019ve been part of their communities for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have cousins in Chicago who carry their passports everywhere they go \u2014 because they\u2019re afraid of being treated like they don\u2019t belong in the country they call home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s not the America my mother came to. And it\u2019s not the America any of us should accept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So now, many Latinos who once gave Trump and the Republicans a chance are asking: Where are they? Why are they attacking my family?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of focusing on the cost of living or the future of work, they\u2019ve chosen to distract and divide us. They\u2019re hoping that if they can keep Americans angry at each other, then we\u2019ll forget about what\u2019s happening to our wallets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the culture wars come and go. What never changes is the concern about the price at the pump or at the checkout counter. That\u2019s where the real fight is, and it\u2019s a fight Democrats can win if we stay focused on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because here\u2019s the truth: Latinos don\u2019t vote for a party. We vote for possibility. We vote for the people who make us believe that the American dream still belongs to all of us \u2014 no matter our last name, no matter where our parents were born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If Democrats can continue to be the party that fights for working families \u2014 the party that helps people buy that home, start that business or send their kid to college \u2014 then we can win anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What we saw last week is proof. Latino voters are done being taken for granted or talked down to. They want to be respected, to be seen and to be part of building something bigger than themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And in 2026, Latino voters will come out again \u2014 to protect our families, our wallets and the belief that the American dream is still within reach. Because the dream isn\u2019t gone. It\u2019s just waiting for leaders with courage to fight for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nSen. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, Represents Arizona in the U.S. Senate.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Democrats focus on the economy — on helping families not just get by but get ahead and dream big — we win. By Sen. Ruben Gallego, Senator from Arizona Whether I’m meeting constituents in […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,77,70],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-14790","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-slider","8":"category-slider-16","9":"category-latino-vote"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinosreadytovote.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinosreadytovote.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinosreadytovote.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinosreadytovote.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinosreadytovote.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14790"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/latinosreadytovote.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14791,"href":"https:\/\/latinosreadytovote.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14790\/revisions\/14791"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinosreadytovote.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinosreadytovote.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinosreadytovote.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinosreadytovote.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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