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A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 24 december 2019
Gender gap opens among Hispanics who could be key in 2020

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI is about wrapping yourself
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. up in American identity,
(AP) — Yolanda Avila and wrapping yourself in the
Andres Pico are friends flag," she said of men sup-
who sit next to each other porting the GOP.
on the Colorado Springs' Trump, and his alpha-male
city council. But politically projection of masculinity,
the two couldn't be further also has appeal. "There is
apart — Avila is a durable a certain 'manliness' that
Democrat and Pico an un- comes with being part of
flinching Republican. the Republican Party" now,
It's a split that's common Monforti said.
across the country, as His- In Las Vegas, Jesus Mar-
panics are divided along quez, a Trump-supporting
gender lines. Overall, Lati- talk radio host, says he no-
nos are far more likely to be tices that people backing
Democrats than Republi- the president who call into
cans, but Hispanic men are his Spanish-language show
more likely than Hispanic lean male. He said there's
women to vote Republi- been considerable social
can. pressure for Latinos of all
Last year, as about two- genders not to admit to
thirds of Latinos backed backing Trump.
Democrats, Hispanic wom- In this Friday, Dec. 13, 2019, photograph, Colorado Springs, Colo., council members Yolanda "Males might be a little
en were 9 percentage Avila and Andres Pico are shown in a city office in Colorado Springs, Colo. more outspoken on that,"
points more likely to vote Associated Press Marquez said. Jacqueline
for them than Hispanic Armendariz, a Democratic
men, according to AP Vo- the split among white men "All these pieces begin to among Hispanics will help organizer, has seen the
teCast, a national survey and women. tell a story of integration." him win the pivotal swing gender gap among Lati-
of more than 115,000 mid- Data from Pew Research The emerging divide high- state of Florida, and pos- nos firsthand while working
term voters, including 7,738 Center shows the gap has lights the complexity of sibly provide enough sup- for an abortion rights group
Latinos. Though Hispanics widened since 2012. what is now the nation's port to threaten Demo- along the Texas border.
started from a more Dem- "You do see the Latino pop- largest minority group be- crats in states like New The group was almost all
ocratic baseline — 61% ulation reflect the same fore a presidential election Mexico and Nevada. Still, Hispanic women. "A man
of men still backed that divides as among the U.S. where immigration and the gender gap has tradi- can feel the luxury of feel-
party's candidates in 2018 population as a whole," identity will be core issues. tionally helped Democrats ing that's not related to
— the gender divide in the said Mark Hugo Lopez of President Donald Trump because women are more their own life-and-death
group was comparable to the Pew Hispanic Center. is hoping that his inroads likely to vote than men, so situation," Armendariz said
that party benefits more of abortion rights.
from its disproportionate Armendariz noted that, in
support among women. today's polarized political
Over the past two de- world, voters are constantly
cades, immigrants from being forced to choose
Latin America have in- sides. "Is machismo a fac-
creasingly been women, tor? Maybe," she said. "For
often bringing children that to translate into what
north, sometimes trying to we see in voting data right
rejoin partners who left ear- now doesn't surprise me."
lier, when Latin American The split is evident among
immigration to the United the handful of elected His-
States was predominantly panic officials in Colorado
male. Newer arrivals in the Springs, a conservative city
country are more likely to 70 miles south of Denver.
vote Democratic when The three elected Repub-
they attain citizenship. licans in the county are all
Additionally, Hispanic men — Pico, county com-
women have become missioner Longinos Gonza-
more likely to earn college lez and a state legislator,
degrees than their male Dave Williams. Avila, for
counterparts. whom Armendariz once
"Latinas have a much more worked, is the only Demo-
positive relationship with crat and only woman.
U.S. institutions like schools," Pico, 68, has considered
said Jessica Lavariega himself a Republican ever
Monforti, a dean at Califor- since he joined the military
nia Lutheran University who decades ago. "I always
has studied the Latino gen- found conservatives would
der gap and noted Hispan- find a way to solve a prob-
ic men have higher rates of lem and Democrats would
incarceration. "For Latino find a way to feel good
men in particular, and for about it," the retired Naval
a lesser extent Latinas, this flight officer said.q