Democrats’ rebound with Hispanic voters in Passaic County is showing campaigns how cultural storytelling and pocketbook messaging can break Trump’s momentum in key 2026 battlegrounds.
Democrats spent much of the last two election cycles watching Hispanic voters drift toward Donald Trump, especially in Florida, Texas, and several Northeastern counties. But Passaic County, New Jersey, is now emerging as the most important test site for a new approach.
Progressive organizers are using local policy wins and culturally precise messaging to rebuild trust with voters who once formed the core of the Democratic coalition. Their model has immediate implications for 2026, especially in Florida and Nevada, where Hispanic voters will determine the balance of power in statewide races.
The Associated Press reporting on Way to Win’s new strategy shows that Latinos are not rejecting Democrats wholesale. They are demanding economic relief and authenticity. Passaic County is proving that when voters see real material gains and hear messages that resonate with lived experience, they respond.
Passaic County, a heavily Hispanic community, stunned Democrats when it backed Trump in 2024 after years of strong Democratic margins. Organizers blamed rising rent, food costs, and the perception that Democrats lacked urgency. After the election, Make the Road Action New Jersey helped pass a rent cap ballot initiative that directly addressed housing instability in Hispanic neighborhoods.
The campaign focused on real families in Passaic who had faced eviction and overcrowding. Tenants organized after sudden rent hikes of $1,000 and rising costs forced families like Hugo Carrillo’s to leave their homes. Their work produced a major policy win when the city capped rent increases at 3%, ended vacancy decontrol, and put protections in place for more than 9,800 tenant households. Advocates estimated the law would prevent homelessness for over 4,000 families.
|
Feature |
Description |
Metric/Example |
|
Problem Focus |
High cost of living, sudden rent hikes, and eviction risk. |
Rent increases of $1,000 forcing families to leave. |
|
Key Organizing Group |
Local tenants and advocates, exemplified by families like Hugo Carrillo’s. |
Organized after being forced out of their homes due to rising costs. |
|
Policy Victory |
Passage of a local ordinance to stabilize rents and protect tenants. |
Rent increases capped at 3%; vacancy decontrol ended. |
|
Households Protected |
The law immediately put protections in place for thousands of renting households. |
More than 9,800 tenant households gained protections. |
|
Projected Impact |
Estimated number of families whose homelessness would be prevented by the new law. |
Over 4,000 families are estimated to avoid homelessness. |
Passaic is now being treated by strategists as a template for 2026 because its political conditions mirror Hispanic strongholds in states like Nevada and Florida: economic anxiety, cultural pride, and frustration with national messaging that feels disconnected from daily life.
According to AP, the $1.4 million ad and field program targeting Hispanic voters is designed around one truth: the cost of living is the top concern across Latino communities. Instead of framing immigration and deportation exclusively as moral issues, organizers are linking Trump’s hardline approach to economic instability, job losses, and the rising cost of essentials. Ads highlight billionaires and depict growing gaps between wealthy Americans and working families.
This shift reflects an understanding that Latino voters are navigating a full spectrum of pressures. Many support strong border policies while still rejecting the cruelty of mass deportations. Many back small business growth while demanding rent caps or food cost relief. The new messaging acknowledges these complexities rather than flattening them.
The Passaic rent cap victory offers a concrete story campaigns can tell. It shows that Democrats and local partners can deliver cost of living protections, not only talk about them.
Nevada remains one of the most competitive states for Hispanic outreach. Trump carried Nevada in 2024, in part because many Latino families saw no relief on rent, food, or electricity costs. The Valiente Action campaign is testing messages that connect those struggles to policy decisions by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who vetoed tenant protections and opposed measures meant to stabilize housing.
Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo
Organizers like Make the Road Action Nevada are drawing sharp contrasts. Their language is direct, accusatory, and cultural. They argue that Lombardo “stabbed us in the back,” using Spanish language ads and testimonials to reinforce trust networks. This mirrors the approach that succeeded in Passaic, where local credibility proved more persuasive than national surrogates.
Nevada is uniquely positioned for this experiment. It has a large service sector, high housing costs, and a growing immigrant population. It also has one of the most competitive gubernatorial races in 2026. If Democrats can rebuild Hispanic margins here, it will influence the national map.
Florida remains the toughest state for Democrats seeking to regain Hispanic support. Cuban, Venezuelan, Colombian, and Nicaraguan voters respond strongly to messages about socialism, personal freedom, and national security. Trump’s strength in these communities is not accidental. His campaign built narratives around economic opportunity and the idea that Democrats are indifferent to working class aspirations.
Passaic County offers an opening. The lesson is that cultural precision, economic storytelling, and local wins matter more than national branding. Florida campaigns will need trusted messengers, community rooted organizations, and proof of delivery on cost of living issues. Statewide rent protections, housing affordability plans, and targeted small business programs will resonate more than national climate or immigration frames. The blueprint that worked in Passaic can work in Florida, but only if adapted to local identity groups and priorities.
Trump’s proposed mass deportation plan is a major part of the progressive strategy to win back Latino voters. According to the AP report, some ads describe enforcement actions expected in a second term, including the use of helicopters and chemical agents in large urban sweeps. The intent is to show that Trump’s immigration policies go beyond strict enforcement and into territory that threatens safety and stability in Latino neighborhoods.
Strategists believe this connects directly to the labor market. A Brookings and AEI report cited by AP warns that the removal of millions of workers could push monthly job growth near zero or negative. Organizers are presenting these findings as evidence that Trump’s agenda would harm both immigrant and non immigrant workers by reducing labor supply and slowing wage growth.
Passaic County’s messaging blends these themes. It frames Trump as both an economic threat and a social threat. Early field tests suggest this dual framing is more persuasive than relying on moral arguments about deportation alone.
Democrats have spent two cycles searching for a strategy that resonates with Hispanic voters outside traditional strongholds. Passaic County’s comeback provides the clearest blueprint yet: focus on cost of living, deliver local wins, and address immigration within an economic and cultural framework. This approach has begun to influence outreach programs in Nevada and offers a pathway into Florida’s fractured Hispanic electorate.
As 2026 approaches, both parties understand that Hispanic voters will determine key gubernatorial and Senate outcomes. The party that succeeds will be the one that tells a coherent economic story, backed by real policy achievements, and rooted in cultural understanding. Passaic County proves that breakthroughs are possible, but only when campaigns meet voters where they live, listen to their daily concerns, and show that political promises can lead to tangible results.