Hispanic voters predict red wave, say Democrats use handouts and rhetoric to appease minorities

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WATCH: Hispanic voters predict red wave, say Democrats use handouts, rhetoric to appease minorities

Three Hispanic Americans weigh in on why minority voters could be abandoning the Democratic Party. 

"The Democrats really lost working-class people," Chris Formoso, a first-generation Cuban, and father of four, told Fox News. "These people have absolutely lost their minds. There is no way we could vote for them, especially when Republicans have been more focused on the issues that matter."

A Puerto Rican man, Hector Olmo, who is now a retired cop living in New Jersey, said Democrats use handouts and rhetoric to appease minority voters while keeping them from achieving real success. 

A Cuban immigrant, Maria Lorenzo, who came to the U.S. more than 50 years ago said the Democratic Party embracing socialism and ignoring its policy failures has caused them to lose support among Hispanics. 

"I can’t talk about all the Hispanics, but most of the ones I know, they are fed up with the Democratic Party," said Lorenzo, who came to the U.S. as a child from Havana and became an American citizen on her 18th birthday.

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"People here have a lot of misconceptions. They studied communism in school, but I lived it," Lorenzo told Fox News. 

"Most of the Hispanics, especially the ones that came from Cuba and Venezuela, they came running from communism. And they see that this country, the Democratic Party, is leaning towards that- toward socialism, towards division."

Lorenzo’s parents instilled in her and her sister a strong work ethic. In his pursuit of the "American Dream," Lorenzo says her father refused to accept any government handouts. 

Her top priorities as a voter are maintaining small government and defending the first and second amendments. 

Maria Lorenzo, Cuban immigrant 

Despite the Democratic Party’s historical success with garnering the Hispanic vote, Lorenzo said economic woes are causing many to reevaluate. "When your pocket is hurting you wake up from whatever beliefs you had, and the Democratic Party are hurting people's pockets," she said. 

A recent report by Axios, entitled "The Great Realignment," details a Democratic Party that is becoming more elite and "a little more white," as inroads in a number of ethnic groups for Republicans could turn the tide in numerous Democratic-held swing seats. 

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Data shows that Democrats are "statistically tied" with Republicans in congressional ballots when it comes to the Hispanic vote. A surprise when compared to 2018, when the Democratic Party held a 47-point advantage with Hispanics in the midterms. 

Hector Olmo, a Puerto Rican retired police officer living in New Jersey also believes Democrats are embracing socialist ideas and turning away Hispanic voters.  

"We moved here to be independent and to be our own thinkers and be as successful as we want," Olmo told Fox News. "With socialism, where everybody’s on an equal table--it's a nice idea, but it doesn't work."

Olmo has voted Republican for the majority of his life, in large part due to his upbringing with immigrant parents. 

"Something that my dad always told me was that Democrats will assist their constituents and help the needy and help the lower class but will never provide them enough to be more successful than them." 

In contrast, Olmo said Republicans provide people "with the ability to be as successful as they wanted to, not just a handout," and pointed to the historically low minority unemployment rate under President Trump. 

Olmo said Democrats use issues that should not be politicized, like abortion, as a means to obscure other political failures.

Hector Olmo, retired police officer 

During his 28 years serving as a police officer, Olmo said he witnessed firsthand how Democratic policies like bail reform corroded the institution of law enforcement. 

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"It's just been a downward spiral," he said, citing skyrocketing inflation, record high gas prices, and rising crime rates across major U.S. cities. "There’s been no self-correction." 

Like Lorenzo, he believes the economic and social tolls stemming from Democratic policies will result in voters becoming more informed and discerning when casting their ballot. 

"When you hit somebody's pocketbook, their freedoms, and their stuff, they're going to pause and say, ‘hey, what's going on here?’

Chris Formoso, a Cuban-American living in Florida said Democrats have lost touch with the working class, including Hispanics. 

"They focus on the wrong topics," Formoso told Fox News. "I keep hearing about January 6th, I keep hearing about gender identity and the importance of that, and of oppression and racism. I'm a minority-- I don't feel any of that," he said. 

"What I care about is keeping things affordable for me and my family," the father of four said. 

Formoso works as a financial manager in the Miami-Dade area. His parents fled Cuba for the U.S. in hopes of a better life after Fidel Castro rose to prominence. 

An independent voter who supported Gary Johnson in 2016 and reluctantly voted for Donald Trump in 2020, Formoso said he finds himself aligning more with Republicans as Democratic priorities grow increasingly out-of-touch.

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"Pretty much every Hispanic that I know…we only care about working hard, family values, Latino justice, common sense things that any society should be promoting," Formoso told Fox News. "I feel the Democrats somehow have fallen down this black hole where they seem to be against the nuclear family."

Chris Formoso, first generation Cuban-American  (Fox News )

Citing the economy and general safety as his top priorities, he criticized the Democratic party for embracing strict lockdown policies which he blames for causing serious economic disruption and putting millions out of work. 

"Everything that's wrong with the economy, they blame it on the Putin tax hike. They blame it on Republicans not passing more spending bills that would only drive inflation even higher. They don't make any sense," Formoso said. 

"I don't see how anyone can vote for these people to stay in power and continue down this road that's ruining the country."

Formoso said there is not one Democratic figure being discussed as a potential 2024 presidential candidate he would consider voting for. 

"They've got to change their perspective on society and on life, because right now they're on the wrong path."

All three agreed the minority vote, including Hispanics, will shift right in the upcoming midterms. 

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"I do think they're going to vote conservative," Formoso about Hispanic voters. "There is no way we could vote for them, especially when Republicans have been more focused on the on the issues that matter."

Olmo said he believes minorities and all voters will sway heavily to the right in the upcoming elections. 

"The Democrats really haven't shown an answer to correct or fix anything," he said. 

"I pray that the Republican Party wins the majority," said Lorenzo. "I hope there's a ‘red wave.’"