Texas border county sheriff candidate on Hispanic voters shifting to the Republican Party
Starr County, Texas sheriff candidate Alberto Olivares (R) discuss the top issues facing his community and why he believes the Republican Party is appealing to more Hispanic voters.
A sheriff candidate in a Texas border county that has never voted Republican in a presidential election said Friday he has been "shocked" by the number of residents who plan to support former President Trump in November.
Voters in Starr County, Texas – which is over 97% Hispanic or Latino – have overwhelmingly supported Democratic candidates in the last century, with 86% voting for former President Obama in 2012. In 2020, however, voters shifted away from the Democratic Party in droves, with Biden only grabbing 52% of the vote.
The county could now make a historic shift in 2024.
"I've been doing door-to-door campaigning in all pockets of this county," Starr County Republican sheriff candidate Alberto Olivares told "Fox & Friends First" Friday. "I am just shocked with the number of people that just volunteer that they're going to vote for Trump."
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Olivares, a former Democrat himself, said Latinos have been historically conservative, but "for some reason" they have identified as Democrats for generations.
"We believe in God and supporting the family. We want a secure border, supporting our police officers, fiscal responsibilities. So we're conservatives."
Olivares added that people in his community are feeling the "financial squeeze" in addition to the border crisis.
"Border security being so close here is a very important issue. But so is the economy. And people are just struggling."
Left: Vice President Kamala Harris. Right: Former President Donald Trump. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Olivares, a former Border Patrol agent, said he decided to run for sheriff because "enough is enough," adding it has been 118 years since the county had a Republican sheriff.
"I never dreamed of being a politician by any means, but, enough is enough, and we need some real leadership in the sheriff's office here. We need to increase security for the people. And, I think I'm the right guy for the job."
With Vice President Kamala Harris at 47% and Trump at 49%, the national race is very tight, according to the latest Fox News Power Rankings.
Harris’ five-point improvement over Biden comes from upswings in key groups that had drifted away from the incumbent president, including Hispanic voters. Support has increased from 41% after the Biden-Trump debate to 57% now.
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Fox News' Rémy Numa contributed to this report.
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