The Deciders, June 2024: Hispanic American voters in Arizona

In this Article

• Awareness of the Presidential Campaign
• How the Voters See Biden and Trump
• Which Candidate Would Get Their Votes
• The Issue of Abortion
• Thoughts on Immigration
• Trump’s Border Wall

Voters from key demographics will help decide the 2024 presidential election. As the countdown to the November election continues, The Deciders series is checking in with these groups. Read on as participants share their thoughts on the presidential race and the issues that may affect their votes. This initiative is a partnership between Sago, Engagious, NBC News and Syracuse University’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship.

Most recently, the Deciders hosted focus groups with 12 Hispanic Americans living in Arizona. The conversations included their views of Joe Biden and Donald Trump, as well as abortion, immigration, and the border wall.

Awareness of the Presidential Campaign

Arizona is expected to be a pivotal state in the 2024 election. The voters who took part in The Deciders are among those likely to play a significant role in deciding the race. But despite this status, they haven’t given much attention to either Biden or Trump’s campaign.

Half of the Arizona voters aren’t following the candidates very closely. Only five of them know about Biden’s plans for a second term. Their comments included:

“Protect reproductive rights.”

“Overturn the decision about Roe v. Wade.”

Only two could name something Trump has said he’ll do in a second term. Their comments included:

“Stop the war in Ukraine.”

“Lower taxes.”

How the Voters See Biden and Trump

The Arizona voters were asked to describe the two leading presidential candidates in a word or phrase. Here’s some of what they said about Biden:

“Useless”
“Too old”
“Incompetent”
“Senile”
“Ancient”
“Underwhelming”
“Current president”
“Weak”

Here’s what they said about Trump:

“Inappropriate”
“Con artist”
“Aggressive”
“Controversial”
“Former president”
“Rude”
“Poor leadership”
“Ridiculous”

Which Candidate Would Get Their Votes

These 12 Arizona voters are unhappy with both Biden and Trump. Their comments made it clear that they don’t feel a connection with either candidate.

In a two-way race, five of the Arizona voters would vote for Biden. Three would choose Trump, and four of the Arizona voters wouldn’t vote at all.

In a five-way race, here’s how they would vote:

Joe Biden: 2
Donald Trump: 1
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: 5
Jill Stein: 2
Cornel West: 0
Would Not Vote: 2

The voters who expressed support for Kennedy said things like:

“I recently watched an interview with him and he seemed very, very knowledgeable on our U.S. History, from the ’60s up until now … He also seems to toe the line really well between not being too conservative and not being too Democratic.”

“I picked him because I know he would be good for the economy, because I know he’s involved in stocks and then crypto.”

The Issue of Abortion

Abortion is expected to be an issue that has a big effect on how people vote in 2024. However, most of these Arizona voters aren’t following the fight for abortion rights that closely.

During The Deciders conversations, nine of them weren’t certain what the current abortion laws were in their state of Arizona. Still, eight of the respondents say they would vote for a state constitutional amendment regarding abortion.

Six of the focus group participants said Trump was at least partially responsible for the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. However, most Arizona voters weren’t quite sure how the Supreme Court changed during Trump’s presidency. Only one of them knew for sure that three justices were appointed while Trump was in office.

The focus group participants were asked to imagine a plea from Biden, with abortion rights as the main focus, not to vote for Kennedy because that would be like giving their vote to Trump. Responses to that scenario included:

“I think that he’s assuming my stance on abortion is that vital. He’s assuming most Americans stance on abortion is that vital. There’s plenty of other issues and large issues that we have that that affect every American, women or men, that decide who we vote for.”

“I think it’s a compelling one. I think if I was faced with that, I think it might sway my vote.”

“It makes sense, like if that’s the situation, then that would sway my vote.”

Thoughts on Immigration

When asked about the issue of immigration, six of the Hispanic American voters in Arizona expressed concerns about the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Nine of the 12 respondents believe that Trump would do a better job than Biden when it comes to handling the border. Here are some of their comments:

“He’s proven that he’s done it in the past, like the wall.”

“With Trump, there’s the assumption that he’s not welcoming, he does not like migrants. So, people, just by him being elected, [will say], well, we’re not going to go to the States because we’re not welcome there.”

Trump’s Border Wall

If Trump is elected in November, the Arizona voters don’t want him to finish the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Here’s some of what they said:

“I just don’t think it’s effective … A lot of people that come in usually fly and overstay their visas, so it just doesn’t make sense to me.”

“It’s a waste. There’s the energy and the resources need to be put into an actual plan, not just a materialistic show.”

“It’s just a huge money pit … it’s not going to solve everything.”

For more on the thoughts of critical demographic groups during the 2024 presidential election, don’t miss any installments of The Deciders. Each month features a conversation with a different group of voters.