Senator Ruben Gallego Warns Latino Vote is Not Guaranteed After Democrats Gain in Midterms

U.S. Senator Ruben M. Gallego (D-Ariz.) said Latinos were an essential voting demographic during the 2026 midterm election, but cautioned that their continued support for Democrats is not guaranteed at an Institute of Politics panel Monday evening.

Gallego, speaking on a panel of six Latino journalists and political organizers, discussed the shift in the Latino vote in the midterm, further backing Democrats as Republicans lost 14 percentage points in the demographic from the 2024 general election. The panel, moderated by former U.S. Ambassador to Croatia and IOP resident fellow Nathalie Rayes, comes less than a week after Democrats won sweeping majorities in both the House and Senate.

Gallego lauded his fellow Democrats in Congress for making gains with Latino voters during the midterms, but warned that the support seen in this election may not be permanent.

“We basically are renting the vote right now, and they’ll give us 2026 — maybe 2028,” Gallego said. “But if we mess it up, they will switch back at any point. It’s a swing vote for Republicans.”

The push toward the Democrats in the midterms was driven by Latino voters’ concerns over the economy and immigration, according to Gallego, who said that the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge has come under scrutiny by many Latinos, particularly among younger voters.

“We all felt that threat when we saw our families being separated, we saw men and women being racially profiled, killed. I think everyone realized that we had to fight together in order to survive together, and that’s why you saw some massive swings in Texas, in Nevada, and Arizona,” Gallego said.

The economy was also a primary concern for Latino voters, according to Melissa Morales — the founder and president of Somos Votantes, an organization focused on mobilizing Latino voters. Morales said she noticed stark differences in how Latino men and women described their economic concerns, underscoring different effects the “economic affordability crisis” has had.

“Latino men, I think, had really talking about it in regards to filling up my tank and trying to get to work — so wages not keeping up, costs being high and diesel being $6 a gallon came up a lot. For Latina women, it was much more: Can I keep my family fed? Can I keep my family safe? Can I keep a roof over their heads?” Morales said.

Gallego urged Democrats to pay greater attention to the economy’s effects on Latinos and prioritize policy on expanding affordable housing and healthcare now that they have taken control of Congress.

“The Democrats need to understand the economic message to Latinos is different to the rest of the population because again we’re younger, we have younger families. The reason somebody was talking about gas prices and how it affected us mentally — it does wear on us because we drive everywhere,” Gallego said.

Gallego said affordability will continue to be a priority for Latino voters, and both parties have the chance to gain the demographic’s support in the 2028 general election.

“They need to make it easier for you to have a family, and then to make it easier for you to own a home. Those are the key things that, if either party does going to 2028, they will significantly have a big impact on Latino vote,” Gallego said.