Letters to the Editor: Latinos were part of a society-wide shift to Trump. Don’t single them out for blame

To the editor: Latino men are now front and center in the debate about who lost the 2024 election for the Democrats. Columnist Gustavo Arellano says the values often held by Latinos align more closely with those of Republicans than Democrats.

It is true that Latinos are more conservative on social issues, religion and family. They are hardworking, self-sufficient, patriotic, optimistic and entrepreneurial.

Years ago, Ronald Reagan said, “Latinos are Republican; they just don’t know it yet.” Only time will tell if they have found their true political calling.

Reagan loved Latinos, and in 1986, the immigration law he championed gave amnesty to more than 3 million immigrants. But historically, Republicans have supported policies that help the rich, while Democrats have helped the working poor and middle class.

This election was more about ideology than policy issues. Vice President Kamala Harris lost ground in almost every demographic, and Latinos were just part of that equation.

Anastacio Vigil, Santa Monica

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To the editor: Arellano’s column is a cogent analysis of the election. But he has a misstep at the end.

He writes: “Hating on Latino men is easier. It’s been a favorite sport of Americans for centuries. We’ve been buffoons to them, criminals, rapists.”

Sadly, that may be true. And President-elect Donald Trump sustained it.

But this election isn’t as much about Latino men being treated as criminals and rapists as it is about Latino men voting for a criminal and an adjudicated sexual abuser. And shamefully, they weren’t alone.

William Carey, Sherman Oaks