Trump Builds Diverse Coalition for 2024 Victory, Gains Among Latino, Black, and Gen Z Voters

Donald Trump’s overwhelming 2024 election victory was driven by a broad and diverse coalition, with significant gains among Latino, Black, and Asian voters and younger generations.

Exit polls by Edison Research revealed a substantial shift in voting patterns, particularly among groups traditionally loyal to the Democratic Party.

Black and Hispanic voters propelled former President Donald Trump to an electoral blowout on Tuesday by nearly 9 million more votes since 2016.

Trump’s victory marked a nearly 9 million vote increase over his 2016 performance, showcasing his appeal to a wide range of voters.

Vice President Kamala Harris, on the other hand, experienced a significant loss of support from many long-standing Democratic constituencies.

According to GOP pollster Patrick Ruffini, the exit polls reflected an unprecedented shift to the right among young and non-white voters. “It is historically unprecedented in the modern era,” Ruffini said, referencing the change following the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. “Since we’ve had records, certainly, it’s the strongest.” Trump’s appeal was powerful among Latino voters, where his support surged to 45%, up 16 percentage points from 2016 when he won just 29% of the Latino vote.

Vice President Kamala Harris has haemorrhaged long-held Democratic support from both male and female black and Hispanic voters since 2016, according to Edison Research exit polls. AP

A majority of Latino men—54%—helped propel Trump’s success with this demographic, a notable increase from past elections.

The growing share of the Latino electorate, which expanded from less than 12% in 2016 to 14.7% in 2024, contributed to his more substantial showing in crucial swing states like North Carolina and Georgia. Daniel Garza, president of the grassroots Latino advocacy group LIBRE Initiative, attributed Trump’s success to his appeal to the working class, which he said had been ignored by the political elite.

Historically, Trump may have received the highest share of non-white voters since Republicans ca

In Hidalgo County, Texas, where many Latino voters shifted towards Trump, residents like Jose Luis Sanchez Jr. voiced concerns over the record levels of illegal immigration under the Biden-Harris administration.

Sanchez, a long-time Democratic voter, said his stance had changed due to the increasing number of illegal border crossings. “There’s a lot of Hispanics that are actually against this massive wave of illegal immigration,” he said, adding that they are in favour of legal immigration. Zully De La Garza, also from Hidalgo County, echoed similar concerns, noting that illegal immigrants receiving government benefits while local citizens struggle had angered many in the community.

Trump also gained significant ground among Black voters. Twelve per cent of Black voters supported him in 2024, up from just 8 per cent in 2016.

Among Black men, 20 per cent voted for Trump this cycle, a significant increase from the 13 per cent who supported him in 2016. Monica Davis, a Black voter from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, explained her decision to vote for Trump, saying she preferred his straightforward approach over Harris’s shifting accents and changing rhetoric.

Trump also made strides with Generation Z voters, with 42% of those aged 18 to 29 supporting him, a 5-point increase from 2019.

This shift in support was notable amid divisions within the younger demographic over the Israel-Hamas war and Trump’s targeted outreach to young men, who had previously been more left-leaning.

Despite these gains, Harris struggled to maintain her support among Latino and Black voters, and her campaign’s messaging was often criticised for not addressing critical issues like immigration. Many voters, particularly in regions like South Texas, felt that the Biden-Harris administration had ignored their concerns, especially regarding border security and illegal immigration.

In 2024, 52% of white female voters went with Trump — the same percentage that supported him in 2016 against the last woman presidential nominee from a major party. REUTERS

Trump’s overall support among white voters remained strong, particularly among white women, with 52% of them voting for him in 2024—matching the percentage he received in 2016.

His support among white men declined slightly, from 62% to 59%, but remained a significant portion of his base.

Overall, Trump’s diverse coalition of voters, including a strong showing among Latino, Black, and Gen Z groups, played a crucial role in securing his commanding victory in 2024, while Vice President Harris struggled to maintain the support of long-time Democratic voters.