Conservative Latinos have become part of GOP base now

Of all the numbers from our recent NBC News/Telemundo poll of Latino voters, this set maybe stands out the most: Conservative Latinos have gone from Democratic-leaning voters in 2012 to Republican base voters now.

In the merged NBC News/Wall Street Journal polls of 2012, 49% of self-described conservative Latinos said they preferred Democratic control of Congress, versus 40% who wanted Republicans in charge — a 9-point edge for Democrats.

But in our Sept. 2022 NBC News/Telemundo poll, a whopping 73% of conservative Latinos say they prefer Republicans in control of Congress, versus 17% who prefer Democrats — a 56-point advantage for the GOP.

That’s a net 65-point swing in a decade, and it helps to explain how Republicans have cut into Democrats’ lead among Latino voters.