Republicans Lead Florida as Most Latino Voters Say Immigration Enforcement Has Gone Too Far

A new N+ Univision/YouGov poll finds Democrats receiving more Latino support in the governor and House contests, while the Senate is nearly evenly divided. Household costs also draw negative ratings of Trump.

Republicans lead Florida’s major 2026 races, but a majority of Latino voters say immigration enforcement has gone too far—including many who believe the border needed securing.

This N+ Univision/YouGov poll finds that 32% of Latino voters say the border needed securing but enforcement has gone too far. Another 23% say the border situation was overstated and enforcement has gone too far, bringing the combined share to 55%.

The findings accompany a different electoral picture among Latinos than statewide: Democrats receive more support in the governor and U.S. House contests, while the Senate ballot is nearly evenly divided. Latino voters also give Trump poor marks on household costs, with 70% disapproving of his handling of both the cost of living and gasoline prices.

The electoral picture remains mixed. Statewide, Republican Byron Donalds leads Democrat David Jolly 50% to 42% for governor. The Republican Senate candidate receives 51% to the Democrat’s 42%, while Republicans receive 49% to Democrats’ 44% on the House ballot.

Among Latinos, Jolly receives 48% to Donalds’ 43%. Democrats receive 48% to Republicans’ 44% on the House ballot, while the Senate figures are 45% Democratic and 44% Republican.

Trump’s standing is more negative among Latino voters than statewide. Among Latinos, 38% view him favorably and 54% unfavorably, compared with 44% favorable and 50% unfavorable among Florida voters overall.

Assessments of his job performance align closely with current candidate preferences. Among Latino respondents who disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president, 76% favor Jolly and 72% support the Democratic Senate candidate.

Latino voters’ preferences differ by origin

The clearest divide within the Latino electorate is between voters of Cuban and Puerto Rican origin.

Cuban voters favor Republicans across the three contests. Donalds receives 51% to Jolly’s 42%, while Republicans receive 52% to Democrats’ 41% in the Senate contest and 51% to 43% on the House ballot.

Puerto Rican voters favor Democrats by substantially wider margins. Jolly receives 51% to Donalds’ 35%. Democrats receive 50% to Republicans’ 36% in the Senate contest and 54% to 36% on the House ballot.

South American voters split their preferences across offices: Jolly receives 47% to Donalds’ 44%, while Republicans receive more support in the Senate and House contests.

The results show distinct preferences within the Latino electorate, including differences across offices.

Among Latinos who voted for Trump in 2024, most currently favor Republican candidates: 84% support Donalds for governor and 85% support the Republican Senate candidate. Jolly receives 9% of their support, while the Democratic Senate candidate receives 7%.

Views of enforcement and the 2024 vote reveal different divides

Florida Democrats are the most likely to say immigration enforcement has gone too far, while independents report the most doubts about their 2024 presidential vote. Among Latino voters, both attitudes appear among voters of different origins and among men and women.

Among Florida independents who voted in 2024, 44% express some doubts, serious doubts or regret about their presidential choice, compared with 14% of Democrats and 17% of Republicans. These responses concern whichever candidate respondents supported—not Trump alone—and include people who say they would probably vote the same way again.

Among Latino respondents who voted in 2024, 23% express doubts or regret. The figure is 22% among Cuban voters, 20% among Puerto Rican voters and 25% among South American voters. Latino men and women register 24% and 22%, respectively.

On immigration enforcement, 79% of Florida Democrats say it has gone too far, compared with 44% of independents and 15% of Republicans. The statewide figure is 44%.

Among Latinos, 55% take that position. This combines 32% who say the border needed securing but enforcement has gone too far and 23% who say the border situation was overstated and enforcement has gone too far. The distinction shows that respondents can support stronger border security while objecting to how enforcement is carried out.

That combined assessment is similar among Latino voters of different origins: 54% among Cuban voters and 56% among both Puerto Rican and South American voters. Worry about enforcement affecting themselves or someone close varies more, at 36%, 39% and 44%, respectively.

Overall, 41% of Latinos are very or somewhat worried that they, a family member or someone close could be stopped, detained or otherwise directly affected, compared with 27% statewide. By party identification, the figures are 43% among Democrats, 27% among independents and 13% among Republicans.

Among Latinos who voted for Trump in 2024, 29% say immigration enforcement has gone too far, and 29% are very or somewhat worried that they or someone close could be affected. On their presidential choice, 28% express some doubts, serious doubts or regret.

Across the Latino electorate as a whole, 59% favor pursuing both border security and a pathway to citizenship for long-established undocumented immigrants who pass a background check. Thirty-one percent favor prioritizing border security and addressing reform much later.

Affordability competes for voters’ attention

Immigration divides voters, but economic concerns are more widely selected among Florida’s most important problems.

Among Latinos, 59% identify jobs and the cost of living as a top state issue, and 57% select housing costs and affordability. Immigration and immigration enforcement are selected by 33%.

The statewide pattern is similar: jobs and the cost of living rank at 56%, housing at 51%, and immigration and enforcement at 27%. Respondents could select multiple issues.

Those priorities reflect pressures on household budgets. Among Latinos, groceries and food are the most frequently selected expense, at 61%, followed by gasoline and transportation at 51%. Twenty-nine percent select rent or mortgage payments, rising to 36% among Puerto Rican voters. Respondents could choose up to three expenses.

Four in 10 Latino voters say their household finances are somewhat or much worse than a year ago. Among Latino homeowners, 45% say their homeowners-insurance premium increased substantially over the past two years.

Voters also give Trump poor marks on his handling of household costs. Among Latinos, 70% disapprove of his handling of the cost of living, compared with 27% who approve. On gasoline prices, 70% disapprove and 25% approve. On housing affordability, 63% disapprove and 29% approve.

Statewide, disapproval stands at 63% on the cost of living, 68% on gasoline prices and 57% on housing affordability. Approval is 32%, 27% and 33%, respectively.

The election will test how these attitudes translate into votes.

Florida’s Latino electorate resists a single partisan label. Electoral preferences differ by origin, yet majorities of Cuban, Puerto Rican and South American voters say immigration enforcement has gone too far. Most Latino Trump voters still favor Republicans for governor and Senate. The findings show why candidate loyalty, support for border security and approval of enforcement should not be treated as interchangeable.

Download the full results for Florida voters here.
Download the full results for Latino voters in Florida here.

About the poll

N+ Univision, the news division of TelevisaUnivision, commissioned YouGov to conduct a survey of registered voters in Florida. Interviews were conducted from October 2 to October 15, 2026, among 825 Florida registered voters. The survey also includes an oversample of 937 Florida Latino registered voters. Respondents were selected by YouGov to be representative of registered voters in Florida and, for the Latino oversample, registered Latino voters in Florida.

The statewide sample was weighted by gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, state region, 2020 presidential vote, and approximate 2024 presidential vote. Weighting benchmarks were based on voter registration lists, the U.S. Census American Community Survey, the U.S. Census Current Population Survey, and available election results. Statewide sample weights ranged from 0.12 to 5.18, with a mean of 1 and a standard deviation of 0.59.

The Latino sample was weighted by gender, age, education, state region, 2020 presidential vote, and approximate 2024 presidential vote. Weighting benchmarks were based on voter registration lists, the U.S. Census American Community Survey, the U.S. Census Current Population Survey, and available election results. Latino sample weights ranged from 0.13 to 6.00, with a mean of 1 and a standard deviation of 0.69.

The margin of error at the 95% confidence level is approximately ±4 percentage points for the statewide sample and ±3.9 percentage points for the Latino sample. The margin of sampling error may be higher for subgroups and does not reflect nonsampling errors, including potential selection bias in panel participation or survey response.