More Colorado Latino voters see state on wrong track than in previous years

More Latino voters in Colorado think the state is heading in the wrong direction than the right one, the first time that’s been the case in six years of an annual policy poll on their views.

Forty-six percent of Latino voters told researchers they think the state is in a decline, according to poll results from the Colorado Latino Policy Agenda. Forty percent think the state is heading in the right direction, and 15% don’t know.

“That is concerning, and state leaders should take that seriously,” Alex Sánchez, the president and CEO of Voces Unidas, said during a Tuesday press briefing about the numbers. In 2025, 54% of Latino voters said the state was on the right track.

“We continue to hear the same concerns from Latinas and Latinos from every corner of the state. That tells me the problem is not a lack of information, but the problem is a lack of action by those in power,” he said.

The annual poll is led by Voces Unidas and the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, two left-leaning organizations who advocate for Hispanic and Latino Coloradans. It was conducted by BSP Research between July 1 and Aug. 11 with 1,606 respondents and an oversampling of Latino voters in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, which has a high population of Hispanic residents and will be a battleground in this year’s midterm elections.

The poll found there was even less optimism about the direction of the United States, with two-thirds feeling negative and just 25% positive about the country’s trajectory. Respondents were about evenly split on whether their local county is heading in the right or wrong direction, with a little over 40% feeling either way.

Economic issues topped the concerns Latino voters want the federal government to address. They named inflation, low wages and unaffordable housing as top concerns, repeating those issues for what should be state-level priorities. Respondents also cited health care costs as a top issue for Colorado leaders to tackle. A little under a quarter of voters also think immigration reform is an important issue facing the federal government.

About 43% of Latino voters said their finances have become worse over the past year — a rise of 10 percentage points from last year — and over half blame President Donald Trump. On the cost of living, 57% want leaders to focus on lowering food and basic costs, 41% want them to focus on housing costs and 26% think they need to work on reducing gas prices.

“This year’s policy agenda identifies the ongoing, deep economic anxiety within our community,” COLOR President Dusti Gurule said. “Year after year, we’ve seen a direct correlation between economic health and physical and mental health that we can no longer afford to ignore.”

About 24% of respondents said they skipped a regular doctor’s visit or vaccine this year, and 1 in 4 said their overall health has declined.

Disapproval of Trump

Latino voters strongly support a policy to allow personal lawsuits against federal immigration agents who violate constitutional rights or cause harm during immigration raids. Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, vetoed a bill earlier this year that would have allowed such lawsuits. There is also 72% support for required transparency when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrest people inside county jails and 68% for a prohibition on local jails allowing ICE into their facilities.

On artificial intelligence and data centers, 80% said they are concerned about new construction of large data centers and 81% worry about surveillance enabled by automatic license plate readers and other cameras. Colorado lawmakers killed a bipartisan bill this year that would have regulated data access from those types of license plate readers.

​The survey found that among the eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado, Rep. Lauren Boebert in the 4th Congressional District had the highest overall approval rating. Fifty-nine percent of Latino voters in her district approve of her performance.

“How much this is driving that result is hard to say, but obviously she’s taken some stands against the president,” said researcher Gabriel Sanchez. “You see President Trump’s approval ratings, what they are, and I think anybody who is pushing back, even in small ways, is going to get some benefit in that.”

Sixty-eight percent of respondents disapprove of Trump’s job performance.

Boebert was followed by Democratic Rep. Jason Crow at 50% approval, Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen at 40%, Republican Rep. Jeff Hurd at 39%, Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette at 38%, Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse at 35%, Republican Rep. Gabe Evans at 34% and Republican Rep. Jeff Crank at 25%. Those district-level results have a higher margin of error than the overall poll’s margin of ±2.4%.

Statewide, 74% of Latino voters said they will almost certainly or definitely vote in November’s midterm election. For a generic congressional ticket, 52% said they would vote for the Democratic candidate, 28% said they would support a Republican and 14% were undecided. They are also more likely to support the Democratic candidate for governor, Attorney General Phil Weiser, than Republican Victor Marx, with 55% saying they plan to vote for a Democrat, 25% backing a Republican and 15% undecided.