" continues. host: mark hugo lopez with the pew research center is here with us this morning, to talk about the latino vote in campaign 2020. he mark hugo lopez, who is with the pew research center, here with us this morning to talk about the latino vote and campaign 2020. he's the director of global democracies -- migration and the research center. remind our viewers how large of a voting bloc latinos made up in 2016. how they voted and what are the numbers as we head into november 2020. >> 2016 latino supported hillary clinton over donald trump. however, donald trump won almost 30% of the latino vote. in 2016, about 12 million

hispanics voted. what is interesting is that that was less than half of the potential vote the latinos could have had. the turnout rate was only 40%. by comparison for whites for example, the turnout rate was almost like two thirds. latinos have traditionally voted at rates that are lower with -- another's. we see record turnout of hispanics in terms of raw number of votes cast. this year, we would like to see 32 million latinos who are at least adult u.s. citizens, therefore eligible to vote, and that's actually a record. it's up almost 4 million since 2016. >> pew research says the latino share of u.s. electorate projected to reach a new high in 2020. latino share of u.s. electorate projected to reach in 2020 is 13.3 million. >> 13.3% of the electorate. it's possible we hit 13 million or so voters. >> what issues appeal to the

latino voter? >> it's interesting. this is where i think latinos in many respects in the u.s. overall. in our most recent poll, we found issues like the economy, health care and the response to the coronavirus and racial and ethnic and equality have been the top issues determining the vote for latino voters this year. interestingly the, back in december when we did a survey just asking latinos about the most important issues facing the country then, immigration and the economy were the two top issues. with the coronavirus impact on latinos, both economically and in terms of their health, we see that latinos are now placing the economy, health care in the coronavirus as the top three issues that are most important to their vote in this year's election. >> where does the vacancy of the supreme court and president trump's potential pick rate in the mix of all those issues? >> it's a great question. in our survey we did back in august, we found that supreme court appointees were decided

by 63 or 64% of latino registry voters as an issue that was important to determining their vote in 2020. that is way below what we see for the economy where over 80% of hispanic registered voters raided the economy as an important issue to their vote. the supreme court nominee question that we asked, which was before everything that happened recently with the death of ruth bader ginsburg, it does show that latinos were already thinking about this as an issue that was important to their vote in 2020. >> is the issue of abortion important and who the president picks and their record on that issue? >> the latino public has seen little change in its views on abortion. latinos are generally split about whether abortion should be legal or illegal in all or most cases. that is quite different than the general u.s. public which tends to support general abortion rights. we found while it was an important issue for certain 18

oh, it was not raining as high as the supreme court nominee issue or certainly not as high as the economy, health care or the coronavirus impact. i will point out that for some latinos, particularly those who might be evangelical for example or for whom religion is very important, the issue of abortion can be an important issue. it has been in the past. >> we want to welcome our viewers to join in on this conversation. your questions, your comments about the latino vote in 2020. latino voters, your number is 202-748-8000 thanks to this with your first name and state as well. mark hugo lopez. which states should viewers be watching on election night for the latino vote to make the difference? >> every election cycle, the most important state to watch has been florida. florida looks to be no different this year. in fact, some written polling from other organizations shows

that, for example, joe biden and donald trump are pretty close to splitting the latino vote in florida. while nationally, our research shows that biden has a significant lead among latinos in regards to the presidential race, at least as of august. but some other states to keep in mind, not just florida is important, but also arizona. in arizona, 25% of eligible voters in the state are hispanic. other states to watch include north carolina and georgia for example. they both have 5% of eligible voters in those states as hispanic. those are just some of these states to keep an eye on. texas may be another one to keep a close eye on. that is partly because the state has so many hispanic voters. we will see what happens. of course, it remains to be seen what the final vote tally will be. but latino voters could be important in those states, maybe even some others. >> we want to talk to latino voters this morning. your number once again, 202-748-8000. here's the former pitch. former vice president and

democratic nominee joe biden is making to latino voters. here he is at the hispanic outage event in florida last week. >> in the midst of this got awful pandemic, we've seen more clearly than ever how much we rely on people with hispanic routes to keep our country running. again, that's not an exaggeration. so many of our frontline workers are hispanic. the people stalking the grocery shelves, driving the jewelry trucks, working in the meatpacking plants, staffing our nursing homes or hospitals. these include 200,000 dreamers working in those key roles. many of them are of hispanic heritage. we depend on them. there are a lot of people who are recognized for the first time by what they truly are, essential. we don't just need to thank them, we need to pay them. pay them and treat them with dignity. >> march hugo lopez, his argument there, what do you

make of it? >> the latino workers are concentrated in fields and occupations like, for example, hospitality, janitorial services, also farm workers and agriculture. much of what has happened with the coronavirus economic downturn and who's been identified as essential workers, on the one hand has impacted latinos. many latinos to work in meatpacking facilities and many of them did not have an option to really take time off. on the other hand, when you take a look at, for example, those who have been a impacted working in hotels or in restaurants, you will find that a lot of latinos have lose their jobs. we've seen unemployment rate that shut up to 18% in april. it has come down since, it is still high at ten and a half percent since august. but it was the biggest increase in any group of americans and the highest for a while. notably, over 20% of hispanic women were unemployed in april

of this year when the coronavirus economic impact hit its peak. as hotels and restaurants open up again, we are starting to see hispanics go back to work. but many hispanics who lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus downturn. >> good morning to you. how do you plan to vote? >> i have no choice. i don't think we have good choices either way. i will be voting for trump because even though i abhor the personality and communication style at times, i think he has made a lot of the correct choices for our country. i don't think latinos are a monolith, that they vote altogether. we cuban americans tend to be more conservative. but even there, there are changes.

i think the lessons of venezuela and cuba are important. i came as a child in 1960. we came knowing that this country was wonderful. when i came, we got civics education. we learned english. we believed in the values of this country. what's happened is there is no more civics education. people don't understand that it's not about being hispanic or vietnamese where african american. ultimately, we have to be one. if we don't become one, then we are going to go the way of cuba and venezuela. for my friends and citizens on the left, those of you who don't like the right, you should go visit cuba. you should go be in venezuela

and see that your rights, your freedoms, all of that stuff you like to say, is going to be taken away from you. this is a wonderful country, but it's scary to see what's happening today. >> okay. mr. lopez. >> i also write that the latino vote is not a monolith. it does contain people with different points of view just like the u.s. public does as well. the latinos tend to lean towards the democratic party, but there's been a significant share, at least 25 to 30, perhaps a third of latino voters who would support a republican presidential candidate. it's important to note that in 2004, then candidate george bush won 40% or more of the latino vote according to exit polls. so the latino vote is one that is diverse and it depends on the candidates. your colors comments about why she is supporting donald trump over joe biden are a reflection of what we see some latinos say

about why they've made the choices that they've made. >> she also made a comment about the cuban vote changing. >> yes. that's actually something that we've seen over time. for example, back in 2002 when we did a survey of the hispanic public, we found that among cuban registered voters, there was large support and identification with the republican party. about 60% were then saying that they were republican or leaning towards the republican party. by 2013, the cuban vote was somewhat more split with about half saying they identified with the republican party and about 45% or so saying the same for the democratic party. we are working on some new research that will look at this question to see where cubans are today. just that change alone in 2002 and 2013 shows that the cuban vote is one that is evolving and changing as people come of age were born here in the u.s. of cuban origin. as well as when people arrive from the island. there continues to be new arrivals from cuba over the

last 20 years. >> mural and brooks ville, florida. good morning to you. >> good morning. i don't believe in parties. there shouldn't be any more parties. this is what is getting us in trouble. you should vote for the person. i cry every time i put the television on and listen. i am going to vote for trump. he may look like he's the one who's gotten in trouble, but he's not. he's trying to correct to this country. it i started the whole thing. this is what started it. she got everyone riled up. what kind of country? i cry every morning thinking i'm 83 and i grew up in a beautiful country. now -- the funny thing is i'm thinking, i mean, who's starting all of this trouble? you don't see the chinese -- i mean, they don't cause any trouble in america. that is the greatest thing.

>> okay muriel in brooks ville, florida. i want to show for our viewers the presidents pitch to latino voters. he was a day latinos for trump event in nevada recently. this is what he had to say. >> many hispanic americans came here to pursue the american dream, right? we all want the american dream. i love the american dream. we all of the american dream. you look at what they are asking for, it's like the american nightmare or whatever you want to call it. we want the american dream. having left countries that did not have safe streets. many of you, or your family, your mothers and fathers, they left countries that were very bad. very bad with a lot of problems. if we let this go on, you would have that. i often say we are not going to be another venezuela. we love the people of venezuela. we have tremendous support in miami from venezuelans and cubans. we are not going to let that happen to our country. nobody wants it. and you know who wants at least? it's hispanic americans. they want to see it less than

anybody because they know about it more than anybody. >> march hugo lopez. does that resonate? >> it's interesting. we've been taking a look at how latinos feel about their place in the united states since donald trump became president. mainly among immigrant hispanics but also among those who are u.s. born. we find many, in fact about half of all adults, say they are concerned about their place in the country since donald trump has become president. found that the issue of violent crime is important to 63% of registered hispanic voters. 64% said the same about supreme court appointments. violent crime and gun control are also initiatives that many -- there is a diversity of views on this, not all latinos feel the same about this and when it comes to countries like cuba or venezuela, many cubans in venezuelans, issues that are

very important to them about the relationship with those countries and what is happening in those countries. many other hispanics may not asessarily see the issues the same to their group like mexicans, who may the more concerned about issues like immigration. host: we will go to miami, a latino voter. caller: good morning. i am a cuban-american. i came to this country as a child. the reason my parents brought me here was because they took everything away from us, and they practically threatened my father. as a cuban-american, i can see where the democrats are going. socialism will destroy this country. i have three sons and six grandchildren. where are they going to go? what other country are going to go to? socialism is destruction, and

the people down here, the cubans, venezuelans, nicaraguans, who see what is happening in venezuela, are horrified that this country will become socialist. here, shes came down went to an area that is mainly venezuelan. the restaurant she was invited to go in, there were not even 10 people out. they kept it quiet, where she was going. afterwards, when the people found out where she was, there was over 100 people outside with trump signs. why? because we are not voting for the democrats. thank you very much. host: mr. lopez. guest: among venezuelans, recent polling out of north florida finds there is very strong

support, even more so among cubans for donald trump, among those who are eligible to vote. notably as your caller mentioned in florida, is a very diverse group of hispanics. you have cubans, and as villains, nicaraguans, -- nicaraguans, colombians. some sort of change has happened in those countries. when you look at the cuban-american vote in the -- they make up about 5% to 6% of all hispanic eligible voters. because they are so concentrated making up in florida, about 30% of all hispanic eligible voters there, their impact on the hispanic vote is important in a state like florida. among venezuelans, we have about 60,000 or so who are eligible to

vote in the state of florida. that gives you some sense of the relative size of these groups. host: ron is in texas. caller: good morning. i have a question. i would like mr. lopez to address this. i am so curious -- i live in south texas. i have been in construction for many years. you have mexican-american people living in south texas, they hated venezuelans, hondurans. they come up and say you guys all seek spanish, what is wrong with you -- all speak spanish, what is wrong with you guys? the lady who got on recently, she hate socialism. if you are 65 and you hate socialism so bad, the next time your social security check comes, tell them you don't want it. the next time you go to a doctor and pull out your medicare card, say wait a minute, this is socialism, let me just pay for it out of my pocket. interstate highways, this is

socialism. take these dirty back roads. i don't understand your logic. cuban, i amispanic, a republican, the reason why they nullify your vote is because you guys are so divided. like black people. isck people normally, it like ok, we want to be democrats. -- yougoing republican, guys are so divided. togethert get themselves to see what they want. host: the -- guest: the latino vote has had an import -- has had a diverse set of viewpoints that has varied across the decades. this is a diverse population with diverse points of view, but also a group that in more recent

elections, there has been more attention paid to it because it is a group that might support democrats and republicans at different levels from election to election. -- that is why you see a lot of discussion around cubans, venezuelans and others in florida. puerto ricans are a group we have not talked about yet, but they are just as large as the cuban vote in florida. puerto ricans make up about 30% of all hispanic eligible voters in the state. when we talk about the hispanic electorate, it is diverse, and one that at times might lean more toward one candidate or another, but the candidates do matter and that is why you see support change over the decades. host: ruben is a latino voter in new jersey. do you know who you are going to vote for? caller: definitely not trump. biden, joe biden. host: tell us why.

caller: when the storm, maria , at the end of everybody --, paper towels. ever since then, i thought he was not trustable. this country was made on greed, the more you've got, the more you want. i am very much independent but i will vote for biden. host: mr. lopez? guest: as the caller just mentioned, and puerto rico, this is something that is an interesting story, partly because when you see what has happened with hurricane irma and maria, we have seen an increase in outmigration through 2018 in

the number of people leaving the island in coming to the mainland, with florida being the largest destination for those migrants. it looks like migration has stopped in the last year or so. it looks like perhaps the economic downturn has had an impact on some of the decisions of people to leave or return, but because of the nature of puerto rico, people born there are u.s. citizens and are able to put dissipate in elections in the united states when they moved to a state, just like anybody who moves from state to state can. that is why people talk a lot about the impact of puerto ricans in central florida, and what that might mean for the outcome of the election. it remains to be seen how that will go, but puerto ricans are growing -- are a growing number in florida and rival cubans in terms of the size of their vote. carol in atlanta, georgia. caller: high. hi.aller:

host: a question or comment? caller: i am a 70-year-old white were i moveves because i am involved with a latino population, teaching kids after school to read. it is called agave. who are notpeople informed and say that this country is going to become socialist, this country, if they ink and study democracy countries where democracy has failed, we are down that road. just listen to trump's own words. don't listen to people what say about him. bob woodward has written a book on every president since richard nixon. you can listen to trump, and you can look. my brother lives in atlanta,

that he is in thailand right now because his wife and sons are there and could not come back. thailand has had 70 million people. look at national geographic. look at unbiased reporting on this. do you know they have had 58 deaths with 70 million people? they have had no cases because they still wear masks. when people are uninformed and don't want to be critical thinkers and look at the facts, i happen to be a christian but i have friends who are muslim, buddhist, i am especially upset because as a christian, there is no such thing as nonpolitical christianity. when you refuse to critique the system or the status quo that is supporting it, it is a political act well disguised. i don't have many friends who are for trump, but when they turned to me and tell me they are because of the economy, i tell them what you care about is more money. ronald reagan, a staunch

conservative stood on the grounds of character matters. he was in front of the statue of liberty and had immigrant reform. why don't these people listen to what trump says when he lies to them? host: mark hugo lopez, the issue of character and how does that reason -- how does that resonate with latino voters? guest: it does as much as the u.s. public and you will find that latinos care about the character of candidates. you will also see the past, latinos supported ronald reagan in the 1980 election, with about 35% of their vote at the time. it was a very different hispanic population. your caller made another important point about the impact of the coronavirus on the united states. when you take a look at how latinos see how the united states has performed on that, hispanic public says united states is not done that well when compared to other countries. when you take a look at the impact of the virus, you will

find that 70% of adults that tested positive which is higher than any other racial or ethnic group and 14% tell us that they are pretty sure they have the virus even if they did not get tested. or so ofbout a 22% latinos telling us they have the virus or pretty sure they have the virus. notably, the impact of the coronavirus and the views latinos have on this is an important part of determining their vote. that is what they tell us, according to our survey. host: we will go to a latino voter in florida. caller: my issue is one country, one rule. we come to this country for opportunities, but those are created by the rules. changing the rules of the senate for the confirmation of a judge and using a cuban-american on the shortlist is an insult. it will change the elections.

i am an independent voter. the majority of the latino voters in florida are independent. i voted for trump. he doesn't stand up and put forward one country, one rule, he is done. he will lose florida, and if you loses florida, he loses the election. host: mr. lopez, we want to get your thoughts on latino voters in sorta being independent. -- in florida being independent. guest: this is one of the states that gives us a look into the registration of voters by race and ethnicity. the single largest group as your caller just mentioned are called no party affiliation, neither identified with democrats or republicans. that is the largest group among hispanic voters in florida, and the fastest growing group as well. in some polling that has come out in recent weeks, it is clear

the hispanic vote is split between biden and trump, although again these polls are relatively small sample sizes and have large margins of error. past, florida hispanic voters have tended to support republicans and democrats just about equal shares with obama winning the hispanic vote in 2012 and 2008. host: mark hugo lopez in our last hour of the washington journal, kicking off our battleground say a reason -- battleground series in wisconsin. talk about the latino vote in states where people may not suspect they can make a difference. guest: one of the big stories about the hispanic population in the last 30 years has been its dispersal across the country. wisconsin, while it may not have the size of an electorate of hispanic population that matches florida, it is one where a number of hispanics voting in the state has grown and hispanics make up about 2% to 3% of eligible voters in the state.

that doesn't sound like a lot, but in a close election, it can be important, and it is a growing population. the fastest growing hispanic population has been in north dakota and south dakota over the last 10 years. host: you can find more of the research done by mark hugo lopez and his colleagues at the pew research center, if you go to pewresearch.org. you can find more of the research done by mark hugo lopez and his colleagues at the pew research center if you go to pew research .org. we thank you for your time this morning. >> thank you very much.