Latinos, Abortion and the 2022 Election

• In Event: 2020 and beyond: Examining Black and Latino Political Preferences

Abstract

Did the overturning of Roe V Wade impact Latinx voting behavior in the 2022 general election? Media narratives suggest that high levels of turnout and stronger that expected performance of Democratic congressional candidates in the 2022 election was in part due to the mobilizing effect of the June 2022 Dobbs decision be the Supreme Court of the United States. Research in Latinx politics shows that gender, religion, and generation are all factors that shape public opinion on abortion within this important sector of the American electorate. However, it has been suggested that this is not a core political issue for members of Latinx communities across the country. Using Cooperative Election Study data from 2022 this study explores the role of Latinx public opinion on abortion in relation to Latinx political behavior in the 2022 midterm congressional election, specifically turnout and vote choice. It also includes comparisons to data from previous midterm election years, in order to assess if 2022 was unique in terms of Latino electoral behavior and views on abortion. Results from this study could have implications for the mobilization of Latinx voters in the 2024 presidential election.

Author

• Ivelisse Cuevas-Molina, Fordham University