The surprising support of the Latino community for Donald Trump in the 2020 elections, especially in South Texas, where the former president made some of his biggest inroads with this group of voters, was highlighted by the evident and fundamental support of Latina women.

Much has been debated about the possible loss of the political preference of Latinos for the Democratic Party. Research institutes have pointed out the economic centrality in the lives of Latino voters and how the frustrations around this issue have led this group to question their trust in the Democrats, as we mentioned earlier. 

In this context, other research has pointed to the importance of the Latino female leadership role not only in attracting more supporters to the Republican Party, but also in contesting the “traditional” Latino loyalty to the Democratic Party.

Latinas have been prominent for their role as party chairpersons, particularly in South Texas’ border counties, places known for some of Donald Trump's biggest inroads in 2020 with Latino voters.

Among these women, some of them will run in the primaries of this year's midterm elections, especially Monica de La Cruz, who appears as the Republican Party's favorite in one of the most competitive seats in Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, according to the publication of “Politico”.

Although not yet configured as a total threat to the Democratic advantage in the state, the significant power of the performance of Republicans with Trump in 2020 is noteworthy, especially among the Latino population across the country.

The publication also seeks to portray the experience of some Latinas in the advancement of republican onslaughts in the state. Another candidate for the Republican nomination for a congressional seat from South Texas, Mayra Flores, reported that, as the daughter of immigrants, she realized that there was a “pattern” of voting for Democrats in her community. Thus, she decided to question this loyalty to the party.

“Flores felt that her religious, anti-abortion and pro-border security views were more conservative than she’d ever thought and more in line with the GOP. Five years ago, she got involved in her local GOP and now a majority of her family votes Republican, too”.

Another similar account was from Claudia Alcazar, chairwoman of the Republican Party in Starr County, who switched her adult life support from Democrats to Republicans about two years ago. She said that by following the Latino “tradition” in favoring Democrats, she did not realize that she aligned herself more ideologically with the Republicans, despite having to face resistance in her family.

The reasons for the growing support of many Latino women for the Republican Party is unclear. According to the same publication, “they want more border security or are staunchly against abortions. They feel their husbands, family members, neighbors, and friends that are Border Patrol agents or are in law enforcement are being unfairly villainized by Democrats. They worry Democrats are hostile to the oil and gas industry, which provides many good-paying jobs in the state. They worry the left is forgetting family values and the value of work”.

In the national context, research shows that the highest approval rating for Donald Trump occurred among Latino women. Not only in Texas, but also in other states, like Nevada.

Considering the numbers presented by surveys carried out across the country, national republican groups began to make investments to catalyze the work model being carried out by local leaders by the Hispanic Republican Party, especially women.