As young Americans have soured on Obama, so have Hispanics according to a new Gallup poll released yesterday. While the president remains popular with Latinos, his approval amongst this demographic has dropped from 75% in December of 2012 to 52% this month – a 23-point drop in a year. While this is typical for presidents to experience dips in support, especially those elected to a second term, it’s a bit shocking – and entertaining – that it’s happened to Mr. “Hope and Change” so fast.
Gallup, who conducted the poll, also noted that:
Hispanics’ approval ratings of Obama have shown the most variation of any group’s ratings throughout his presidency. That means their views of him are less firmly anchored than those of other groups, which may help explain why their opinions of the president soured more than any other group’s in recent months. Despite the significant decline in their approval ratings over the past 12 months, a majority of Hispanics, 52%, still approve of the job Obama is doing.
[...]
But it is also a troubling sign for the Democratic Party, given that Hispanics represent an increasingly important segment of the electorate.
So, the good news is that the president is collapsing with two major groups that ushered him into a second term: young people and Hispanics. Additionally, the silver lining in this poll for Republicans is that it shows Hispanic voting trends aren’t as entrenched as originally thought. While I’m not a supporter of Gov. Chris Christie, he has proven that Republicans can win the Hispanic vote. By the way, Christie was able to do that by campaigning for school choice – and going into their communities – in a deep blue state.