Overview
- Democrats won double-digit Latino margins in New Jersey and Virginia, with about two-thirds of Latino voters backing the Democratic gubernatorial candidates, according to NBC News exit polling.
- In New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill flipped heavily Latino Passaic County after Trump carried it in 2024 and expanded Democrats’ lead in Hudson County, where local Republicans cited affordability concerns and ICE actions as factors.
- Exit polls show most Latino voters viewed the administration’s immigration enforcement as too aggressive, yet they still named the economy and cost of living as their top voting concerns.
- Republican responses split between alarm and dismissal, with Rep. Maria Salazar calling the results a wake-up call, Speaker Mike Johnson predicting 2024 gains will hold, and Rep. Carlos Gimenez urging a course correction on immigration.
- Democratic strategists credited intensive outreach and door-knocking in Latino communities, while some analysts cautioned the margins may reflect turnout surges more than large-scale persuasion of prior Trump voters.