Copyright Newsweek
The Virginia gubernatorial election results show that Latino voters are abandoning the Republican Party, a GOP strategist has said. Writing on X, Mike Madrid, a political strategist and commentator, said that Democratic Abigail Spanberger defeating Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears on Tuesday was a sign that Latino voters were moving away from the GOP. Newsweek contacted the GOP by email outside of normal business hours to comment on this story. Why It Matters Latino voters were one of the key groups who proved important in securing President Donald Trump's win in the November 2024 election. The demographic has generally leaned Democratic, but Trump increased his share of Latino votes from 36 percent in 2020 to 48 percent in 2024, according to Pew Research Center. If the party loses the support of Hispanic voters and other groups, it may affect the GOP's chances in future elections including the November 2026 midterms. What To Know Spanberger won the election with 57.5 percent to 42.3 percent. In one city, Manassas Park, where Latinos make up 46 percent of the population, Democrats increased their share of the vote by 22 percentage points compared to the November 2024 election. In response to political reporter Kevin Robillard pointing this out, Madrid, author of The Latino Century wrote: "Latinos abandoning GOP." Meanwhile, Democrats made gains in other areas. Mikie Sherill also won the governor's race in New Jersey and New York City elected a Democratic mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Andrei Roman, the CEO of data intelligence and polling company AtlasIntel said that a "strong Dem turnout, in particular among Latinos, resulted in greater than expected margins" for both Spanberger and Sherrill. However, Thomas Gift, an associate professor of political science and the director of the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London told Newsweek that Spanberger's success was not only because of Latino voters. "Spanberger won because she’s a moderate running in a moderate state," he said. "The fact that Latino voters abandoned the GOP candidate is noteworthy, but it’s not clear that Virginia is representative of broader national trends, including in border states with large Latino populations. "It also overlooks important variation within the Latino vote—such as differences by generation, time of arrival in the U.S., and country of origin. So while yesterday may be seen as a bellwether, the reality is likely more complicated." What People Are Saying In April, Trump told Fox News: "The Hispanic people have been supportive of me like no other candidate, but certainly no other Republican candidate." "I love them, they love me." Abigail Spanberger told supporters at a victory party on Tuesday night: "Tonight we sent a message to the whole world." Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said in a statement: "It's time for Republicans to cherish their short time in power—because Democrats are going to keep winning, and we have a vision for this country that's a lot bigger than building a ballroom." What Happens Next The midterm elections take place in November 2026.
