Trump did surprisingly well in Hispanic-majority counties in South Texas


President Trump is projected to win Texas' 38 electoral votes, and analysts are taking a close look at the southern part of the state, where he performed better than expected in counties with large Hispanic populations.
Journalist Megan K. Stack tweeted that her "biggest surprise of the night" was Trump receiving 47 percent of the vote in Starr County. This is a "rural, poor, and almost entirely Latino" county, which was a "dependable Democratic stronghold." In 2016, Hillary Clinton won Starr County, with 79 percent of the vote compared to Trump's 19 percent.
In Zapata County, where 84 percent of estimated votes have been counted, Trump is winning with 52.5 percent of the vote. Houston Chronicle reporter Zach Despart tweeted that the county, which Clinton won in 2016 by 33 points, is 95 percent Hispanic, and it was "shaping up to be a very poor performance for [Democratic presidential nominee Joe] Biden in heavily Democratic South Texas."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In South Florida, Trump appears to have been buoyed by Cuban American voters, and Sawyer Hackett, a senior adviser to native Texan and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, noted that there's "not a lot of Cubans in South Texas. Latinos aren't monolithic, but these numbers signal a much broader problem for Democrats than national origin."
Farther west in Arizona, Biden is ahead in Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located. The population there is about one-third Hispanic, and The Atlantic's Derek Thompson tweeted that if Biden does win there, it's "an important indicator that A, there is no singular 'Latino vote,' B, we should get some fascinating gender/education/generation/geographical origin breakdowns of the 2020 Latino vote."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Israeli double strike on Gaza hospital kills 20
Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peace
Speed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump
-
Trump halts Gaza visas as Israelis protest war
Speed Read Laura Loomer voiced her concerns over injured Palestinian kids being brought to the US for treatment and a potential 'Islamic invasion'
-
Russia tries Ukraine land grab before Trump summit
Speed Read The incursion may be part of Putin's efforts to boost his bargaining position
-
US, China extend trade war truce for 90 days
Speed Read The triple-digit tariff threat is postponed for another three months
-
Europe counters Putin ahead of Trump summit
Speed Read President Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week for Ukraine peace talks
-
Israeli security cabinet OKs Gaza City takeover
Speed Read Netanyahu approved a proposal for Israeli Defense Forces to take over the largest population center in the Gaza Strip