High prices are testing Latino voter loyalties in a key battleground district

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Una sola cosa. Just one thing. That’s all Victor Martinez wanted from listeners of his Spanish-language radio station — tell him one positive thing about President Donald Trump.

The calls started rolling in. Someone mentioned the $5,000 payout that Trump promised if Republicans keep control of Congress, which Martinez thought was so hilarious that he played a laugh track.

Then a trucker shared a silver lining from high diesel prices — he was expecting to take an unplanned vacation because he could no longer afford to fill up his rig.

Martinez has been hosting his show for nearly a decade in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, where Latinos have gone from a fifth to nearly a quarter of the population over the same time period. He added an hour of politics to his morning talk show at the end of Trump’s first term, and listeners flooded his phone with their worries about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, their unhappiness with inflation and their concern over Joe Biden’s age.

Now, at the halfway mark of Trump’s second term, Martinez said people are just as frustrated as they were then. They’re angry about higher prices for fuel and groceries, and Republicans could face the consequences in the midterm elections.

“It’s the economy, stupid. That’s what it is. I mean, things have gotten so bad,” Martinez said. “People didn’t think Biden did a good job. Everything was expensive and now it’s worse.”

Latinos make up a key part of a winning coalition

Martinez broadcasts from a fourth floor studio with hardwood floors and a view of an old church in downtown Allentown. He operates the show’s control board like an orchestra conductor and sits in front of a poster with campaign signs for Democrats and Republicans.

The studio is located in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, where freshman incumbent Ryan Mackenzie faces Democratic challenger Bob Brooks, a retired firefighter and union official, in one of the most closely watched races in the country.

Latinos are about a quarter of the district’s population, and they were a key part of Trump’s winning coalition two years ago.

Both candidates have organized Latino outreach efforts.

Brooks calls himself “Bombero Bob” — Spanish for firefighter — and recently stopped by a Mexican restaurant and a barber shop with a Dominican flag hanging inside. Mackenzie’s campaign has promoted support from Latino voters and officials, and the congressman opened a district office in downtown Allentown with Spanish-speaking staff.

Martinez is a longtime critic of the president, and this year is backing Brooks. But he said his political roots are in the Republican Party. He supported candidates like Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush, and he opposed Biden’s decision to seek reelection because he was too old.

Martinez said he uses his show to keep people engaged with politics when some have despaired about the prospect of things getting better.

“I got a call yesterday from a guy that said that he was just not going to vote,” Martinez said. “I understand that feeling of frustration, but not doing nothing is not the answer.”

Economic stress looms over the campaign

Republicans know Martinez’s show is an avenue to reach voters, and they’re buying advertising time on it.

Jackie Rivera, vice chair of Lehigh County Republicans, said the party wants to hold on to the support from Latino voters that Trump won over two years ago, and that means connecting with them on issues like “faith and family.”

Although Trump often brags about the economy under his leadership, she said her party wasn’t making the same mistake as Democrats did before.

“We’re not pretending everything is great right now,” she said. “You have to be honest with them so that they can believe in you and actually trust in what you’re stating to them.”

Matt Tuerk, Allentown’s Democratic mayor, said this year’s election has the “same vibes” as two years ago, when Biden was trying to convince people that the economy was strong.

“People on the street were like, ‘Yeah, but my monthly childcare bill is higher and then my monthly mortgage, the price of groceries is ridiculously high,’” he said. “That’s the same story that you hear right now. There’s been no improvement.”

Gas and grocery prices contribute to living ‘day by day’

Claudia Parrales-DeLeon, a Democratic listener from Allentown, said Martinez’s show helps people feel connected as they pay more for gas and groceries and face Trump’s immigration crackdown.

“I don’t know if it makes people less afraid, as much as it makes people more informed,” she said.

She recalled listening one day when a particular caller’s story brought tears to her eyes.

“This one gentleman who shared how he just lost his job, he can’t find work, doesn’t even know where he’s going to get his next meal for him and his children,” she said.

Alberto Pena isn’t a regular listener to Martinez, but his concerns are similar. For nearly two decades, Pena and his wife have run a Dominican restaurant in Allentown, where the aroma of crispy pastelillos and savory rice fills the dining room.

He voted for Trump hoping he’d turn things around after high inflation under Biden. But they’re still “living day by day,” and he’s leaning toward Brooks this year.

“This is not what we expected,” he said. “The economy is completely on the ground.”