Whether you lean left or right, non-Latinos wrongly think we know what’s MOST important to MOST Latino voters.

It’s not immigration, abortion or climate change on the left. 

It’s also not race, law and order, or America First on the right. 

It’s the economy. Specifically, jobs.

The other issues are important to different levels to different Latino groups, according to Mike Madrid, political consultant, Lincoln Project co-founder, and author of The Latino Century: How America’s Largest Minority Is Transforming Democracy.

For example, 

• 2nd generation Latinos are pro-immigration rights
• 3rd generation Latinos are more concerned about crime, schools, and taxes
• Foreign-born are pro-life while U.S.-born are pro-abortion
• U.S.-born Latinas support issues important to their generation and gender rather than race

Yet for over 30 years the top issue for most Latinos has been the economy and jobs. Here’s 2 reasons why:

• 1 in 3 Latinos are 1st generation, so jobs are absolutely necessary for them to get started in their new life.
• Most of the remaining 2 in 3 are in the working class and middle class. They are highly represented in farming, maintenance, construction, food, transportation, and service industries. Here again jobs are key to them working their way up and getting ahead.
• Those that over time become college-educated, or high-wage earners, or homeowners, or marry interracially eventually begin to adopt other priority issues.

So for most Latinos then, the way to serve their needs regardless of political affiliation is through themes like lower interest rates, first-time homebuyer tax credits, manufacturing jobs, business-friendly policies, and infrastructure investment. 

“Have you heard?” is our way of sharing another point of view on commonly held beliefs. Through this we hope to encourage curiosity, dialogue, and tolerance of diverse ideas.