Broad-stroke identity politics only go so far. That’s because the Latinos of the United States have no single identity, no shared world view. From state to state and town to town—even house to house—their politics are molded by vastly different experiences back in Latin America and here in the U.S.

Law and order, for instance, matters critically to some; containing the pandemic to others; and ending the lockdowns to others still. The facile premise of the monolithic Latino voting bloc is, once and for all, being put to rest…

Miami-Dade was the biggest shocker of the three. Trump won 53.5% of the total vote in the majority-Hispanic precincts, which account for almost three-fourths of Miami-Dade’s entire electorate. Back in 2016, he only got 40%.

Core to the Republicans’ playbook: Tarring Biden with the brush of socialism. For the Cuban-Americans, Nicaraguan-Americans and newly arrived Venezuelan-Americans—all exiles of socialist regimes—this was a powerful line and one the Democrats failed to respond to quickly. “The issue went unanswered for too long,” says Eric Rodríguez, senior vice president of policy and advocacy at UnidosUS, a nonpartisan Latino advocacy group.