It’s the economy, estúpido: New Jersey governor’s race tests Democrats’ efforts to win back Latinos
June 8, 2025
The New Jersey gubernatorial primary has emerged as a crucial test for Democrats seeking to regain Latino support nationally. This election highlights the challenges in traditionally blue areas where the party’s decline in this racial demographic has been more pronounced than in battleground states. President Donald Trump vastly narrowed the Democratic margins in New Jersey and New York, even flipping some heavily Latino towns. Inflation was an even bigger concern among Hispanics, than it was for white voters last fall. Strategists, unions, organizers and politicians have begun to pivot away from immigration and recentering their messaging around the economy.
