Polititicans must commit to tailored, economically focused messaging to win Latino voters in the 2026 midterms, Univision executive Ignacio Meyer said Saturday at Axios House at SXSW.
Why it matters: Latinos — the up-for-grabs voting force that could decide 2026's razor-thin congressional battles — propelled President Trump's 2024 victory with record GOP support, about 48% nationally.
- "Hispanic voters are largely sophisticated or largely independent, and they want to be swayed by issues," Meyer said.
- "They do not want to be spoken to about partisan politics."
State of play: Meyer called it a "big disconnect" that politicians ignore Latinos' cultural clout in news, sports and music, despite their explosive growth.
- And he slammed "check-the-box" tactics like late spending and Google Translate ads, noting half of Latinos want Spanish messaging but few civil servants deliver it consistently.
Zoom out: Politicians oversimplify a non-monolithic audience, the Univision exec said, adding that issues resonate differently for someone on the West Coast with Mexican parents than for a Caribbean immigrant.
- "Language is important. Culture is more important."
- Meyer advised politicians to reach Latino voters in the tailored way his company approaches it through soccer, music and 300+ local radio stations.
Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), who also spoke at the SXSW panel on voting power in Latino communities, said Trump's share of Latino support in the last election exposed Democrats' working-class drift.
- "Folks said, 'are Democrats going to make sure that I'm not having to check my bank statement, my bank account, before I go to the grocery store,'" Casar said.
Zoom in: In five rural majority-Latino Texas counties, Democratic primary turnout exceeded 2024 general election votes — unseen since 1992 — Casar said.
- "And so guys, this is really a moment for us here in Travis County, where we're sitting right now," he said.
- Casar added that there's an opportunity to win for Democrats "if people know we're going to bring down their prices and put money in their pocket."
The bottom line: Meyer said, "Study, commit and be consistent. Also make sure that you are not oversimplifying the message."
- "You would not address the general market with one message, one media outlet. You would make sure you had a message that would cut across all of the platforms and then, you speak to them [...] in a voice that is authentic to them."
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Editor's note: The photo in the story was replaced with the correct image of Univision executive Ignacio Meyer.
