Hillary Clinton enjoys a sizable lead over Donald Trump among Hispanics in a new poll, but receives less positive backing from Latino millennials, many of whom describe their support as more anti-Trump than pro-Clinton.
The annual Pew Research Center National Survey of Latinos, found Clinton with 58 percent of the vote, compared to just 19 percent for Trump. Another 10 percent favor Libertarian Gary Johnson while 6 percent back Jill Stein, the Green Party nominee.
The poll suggests a troubling trend for Trump: in 2012, Barack Obama won 71 percent of the Latino vote in a two-way contest, while 27 percent backed Romney, according to national exit polls. That was one of the largest Democratic advantages among Latinos dating back more than two decades, Pew found at the time.
The poll, however, found a worrying trend for Clinton, as well. Her support is lagging among Hispanics 18 to 35 who will make up nearly half of the record 27.3 million Latinos estimated to be eligible to vote in 2016, Pew found.
Among younger Hispanics, 48 percent support Clinton, while 15 percent back Trump; just over 20 percent support Johnson and Stein and 11 percent chose another candidate or offered no opinion.
That contrasts with Clinton’s support among Latino voters ages 36 and older: she has 66 percent of the vote to Trump’s 21 percent, with Johnson and Stein trailing in the single digits.
The poll says that 64 percent of younger voters who do back Clinton describe their support as more of a vote against Trump than a vote for Clinton. But 65 percent of older Clinton supporters say their support is more of a vote for Clinton than a vote against Trump.
Pew notes a similar generation gap among Clinton voters more generally. In an August Pew poll, most younger voters who supported Clinton said they saw their vote more as anti-Trump. Most older Clinton supporters viewed their vote as pro-Clinton.
Trump’s campaign comments about Hispanics - he kicked off his race in June 2015 by pledging to build a wall at the border with Mexico - have resonated. Three-quarters of Hispanic registered voters told Pew they’ve discussed the Republican candidate’s comments about Hispanics or other groups with family, friends or coworkers in the past year.
The poll also found that the share of Latino registered voters who say they are “absolutely certain” they will vote in November -- 69 percent -- is down from the share who said the same in 2012 -- 77 percent. Among the sharpest declines -- 13 percent -- is among younger Latinos.
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