UH poll: Latinos in Texas turning out for Biden, Latino men more likely to support Trump than Latino women
HOUSTON - Is Texas a toss-up this presidential election?
A new poll by the University of Houston suggests yes because of the Latino electorate.
The poll found that among the general electorate in Texas, 49 percent responded they voted or will vote for President Donald Trump and 46 percent responded they voted or will vote for former Vice President Joe Biden.
However, that difference is within the margin of error and both candidates are virtually tied.
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Among Latino voters in Texas, the poll found 57 percent of Latino voters voted or will vote for Biden versus 25 percent for Trump.
"We see a significant lead by Vice President Biden amongst Latino voters," said Dr. Jeronimo Cortina, professor at UH and associate director of the Center for Mexican-American Studies.
The poll also found Latino men in Texas were more likely to support Trump than Latino women -- about 32 to 24 percent. Cortina says the gap is not too significant.
"These gaps have already existed. Latina women traditionally have always been more supportive of Democratic candidates than men," Cortina noted.
Recently, some national polls suggest Trump is increasingly appealing to Latino men in states like Texas.
Cortina argues the sample size in those polls is too small and the methodology is not clear.
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Hilario Yanez works with Latinos for Trump and believes Trump is an attractive candidate for Latino men.
"When I look at President Donald J. Trump, he's a fighter. He's strong. He has a lot of energy," Yanez told FOX 26.
He believes there are more Latinos like him. However, while he works to get out the Latino vote for Trump, Yanez cannot vote himself.
"I am a DACA recipient. My mother brought me to the United States at the age of 1," he explained.
He says he supports Trump despite the President's efforts to get rid of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. If DACA were eliminated, Yanez understands he could lose his ability to work legally in the U.S. and his protection against deportation.
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"I think the best thing is to remove DACA, force Congress to do its job," he said referring to Congress passing immigration legislation.
He says for him it's about Trump and the Republican party aligning with his core values.
"At the end of the day it was my conservative values, faith, family, and freedom that really led me to become the man that I am today," he said.