The Latino Vote

The Latino Vote Podcast Midterm Election Extravaganza is here! With less than one week until midterm election day, Mike and Chuck provide their predictions on election results, analysis of early voting developments, and what races to keep an eye out for.

In This Episode:

0:00 Intro

6:30 South Texas Success: Bobby Pulido and other TX Dems see likely wins 

17:19 Large turnout of new voters in TX early voting, half are Latino

20:12 Final words on Texas

26:16 Intraparty underdogs Randy Villegas and Manny Rutinel show promising challenge to Republican incumbents

Mike Madrid speaks with Secretary Ken Salazar about his new book - Borderlands: My Fight for an Inclusive America - which draws on his experience as US Ambassador to Mexico to detail the relationship between the US and Mexico and how we can create a united North America.

In This Episode:

0:00 Intro

2:48 The meaning behind the book

7:42 Mexico and the US: the invisible relationship

11:31 Is America ready to embrace Latinos as central to its identity?

13:32 The state of today’s Latino community

14:50 Inflection point: Latino le...

Mike Madrid meets with California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra and other top California leaders to discuss the challenges facing the state and the country and how they intend to use their experiences to address them.

In This Episode:

0:00 Intro

0:45 Interview with Xavier Becerra

1:36 Bringing Latino working class background to office

4:39 Holding on to optimism in uncertain times

6:42 Reforming the American dream after a Latino struggle

9:18 Interview with Speaker Robert Rivas

9:29 Meeting the moment: tackling Californians’ problems head on

13:55 Ne...

Chuck is joined in today’s episode by Political Director at CBS News Fin Gómez and political operative Albert Morales. Together they share their experiences talking to voters and working in the field in the lead up to the midterm elections.

In This Episode:

0:00 Intro

3:18 Economic anger in battleground states: the perfect storm for Democrats

9:22 Silly Season: messaging and ad focus in a high stakes environment

17:37 2018 vs 2026: we’ve heard it all before, so what’s different?

21:02 TV moves numbers - but are Republicans too late?

24...

Mike Madrid presents Sons of the Valley - the Central Valley of California and the Rio Grande Valley of Texas are playing key roles in the upcoming midterm elections. This episode features an interview with Central Valley native and CA-22 candidate Randy Villegas on what it means to be from the valley and how his campaign is doing politics differently.

In This Episode:

0:00 Intro

2:30 Randy Villegas Interview

5:06 Doing politics differently: communities v.s. corporate interests, not right v.s. Left

7:04 What it means to be from the valley & growing...

Chuck Rocha comes to you from the road this week to analyze campaign spending, rallies, and ads for the upcoming midterm elections. Also stay tuned to the channel for more content coming this week!

In This Episode:

0:00 Intro

2:28 Republicans pulling money from races - what this tells us about the midterms

7:36 JD Vance in Tyler, TX and Trump in Alaska expose the moving goal line for Republicans

11:11 Closing ads highlighting cost and corruption

15:17 Keeping up leading up to the election

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Recorded October 14, 2026<...

Sabrina Rodriguez, reporter for the Wall Street Journal, joins Chuck and Mike this week to discuss the midterms and her latest work from her home in South Florida. Listen in to hear what she’s seeing in her work around the country.

In This Episode:

0:00 Intro

1:49 Sabrina’s WSJ reporting & the South Florida political climate

7:12 Texas to Florida - is the Latino vote a monolith?

14:52 Reporting on the Latino community: the new hot thing + what are people missing

22:29 Campaign ad spending & ad efficacy

31:10 Young voters in F...

Polls are showing close races and Dems leading in districts that Republicans expected to be easy wins. Chuck and Mike walk you through the trends that reflect this and how the Latino vote will shape the midterm elections.

In This Episode:

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Recorded September 30, 2026

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President Donald Trump’s approval ratings have reached a historic low after he failed to deliver on campaign promises. Chuck and Mike are back together to talk about the implications of this for the midterm elections.

In This Episode:

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Recorded September 23, 2026

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Chuck Rocha takes over the podcast today to talk about new polling, strategy, and midterm news. He is joined by Michael Frias, CEO of data analytics firm Catalist who gives his insight on voter trends and strategies for the upcoming elections.

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Chuck and Mike keep you up to date on the latest in midterm election developments. Listen to their thoughts about new data on Latino voters, the first Republican midterm convention, and their predictions on battleground races.

In This Episode

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Recorded September 9, 2026

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Polling on the 2026 Midterm elections shows big gains for Democrats as Trump causes chaos for the economy. Chuck and Mike talk about how Democrats can take advantage of Republican blunders and how Republicans seek to stop them.

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Texas is shaping up to have some of the most highly anticipated races in this year’s midterm elections. Chuck and Mike discuss the strategy, polling, and culture behind these races and their significance for the country.

In This Episode:

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Despite Texas Republicans’ attempts to push Democrats out of seats through redistricting, Texas Dems continue to fight. Sheriff Johnny Garcia is one of those candidates, running for the seat in Texas’ 35th Congressional District.

In This Episode:

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Recorded August 20, 2026

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With Chuck on vacation in Alaska, Mike has the stage to himself. He gives his thoughts on up and coming Latino leaders, modern-day voter suppression, and polling data from his brand new poll with David Binder.

In This Episode:

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Recorded August 12, 2026

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It is an exciting time for Latino candidates and Chuck and Mike have a list of races to look out for. As primaries are called and midterm elections draw nearer, they give their insight into race results and the data behind it all.

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Chuck Rocha and Mike Madrid are excited to have a conversation with New Mexico Speaker Javier Martínez. From energy, to universal childcare, to organizing vs. advocacy, Speaker Martínez breaks down what it takes to run the state of New Mexico and how it may guide politics more broadly.

In This Episode:

Chuck and Mike are at NALEO for a live taping of the Latino Vote Podcast! They discuss new data on the Latino vote and look into the future of Latino dealignment. Also, stay tuned to The Latino Vote Podcast YouTube channel for a special episode on their Los Angeles Mexican food experience!

In This Episode:

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Recorded July 15, 2026

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New Pew Research report shows growing pessimism about Latino identity and a partisan split in how identity is viewed. Mike and Chuck offer their thoughts on this and more…

In This Episode

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Recorded July 9, 2026

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As far-left progressive Democrats find success in the primaries and incumbents are unseated, a new political landscape reveals itself. Chuck and Mike discuss what is driving voters this way and what this means for future campaigns.

In This Episode:

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Recorded June 29, 2026

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Chuck and Mike are back from their break and excited to share more information about the Latino Vote Summit on June 23rd. In this episode, they’ll dive into what you can expect from this event: what will be going on, who you will see there, and plans for future events.

The Summit offers a unique opportunity for leaders and organizers from both sides of the aisle to share their perspectives on major issues facing Americans. You’ll want to hear what they have to say about the economy, immigration, healthcare, and more.

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Chuck Rocha and Mike Madrid break down the seismic California Governor's race, where Xavier Becerra is surging despite being outspent 150-to-1 by billionaire Tom Steyer, who has already burned through $200 million, roughly $166 per vote. They unpack Steyer's undisclosed influencer campaign flooding Latino social media, what it means for the integrity of political messaging, and why Latino voters in California are rallying behind Xavier Becerra anyway.

Plus:

Chuck Rocha and Mike Madrid break down the Supreme Court's landmark ruling on Section 2 of the 1964 Voting Rights Act... and what it means for Latino political power across America.

Mike tried to sound the alarms on this ruling back in October. Now the bomb has gone off. With 56 Latino members of Congress and dozens of race-based districts in jeopardy, both Republicans and Democrats are about to learn a hard lesson about taking the Latino vote for granted.

In this episode:

Former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joins Mike Madrid and Chuck for a raw, unfiltered conversation about the California Governor's race, the Democratic Party's broken relationship with Latino working-class voters, and what it will take to win them back.

Villaraigosa doesn't just take on Trump, he challenges his own party. From ICE raids tearing families apart, to gas prices crushing Latino workers, to Democrats protecting sacred cows instead of their own constituents — this candidate for California Governor pulls no punches.

Topics covered:

America thinks it knows the story of the border. According to New York Times political reporter and author Jazmine Ulloa, it doesn't.

Jazmine joins Chuck Rocha and Mike Madrid to discuss her groundbreaking new book El Paso — part memoir, part history, part love story — and why the city at the heart of America's immigration debate has been misread, misrepresented, and misused for decades.

Jazmine was sitting in a movie theater when her phone wouldn't stop buzzing. The 2019 El Paso mass shooting, a racially motivated attack three minutes from where she went to h...

Mike Madrid sits down with longtime California leader Hector De La Torre Romo for a powerful conversation on public service, immigration, corruption, and the future of working-class Latino communities.

Hector shares the remarkable story of his parents' journey from a dirt-floor shack in Guadalajara to a working-class home in Southgate, CA... and how their struggle shaped everything he's become. From translating real estate documents as a seven-year-old to serving in the California State Assembly, Hector shares a deeply personal story shaped by faith, struggle, and a relentless commitment to justice. His story is the Latino...

Mike Madrid sits down one-on-one with Xavier Becerra, the frontrunning Democratic candidate for California Governor, for a candid conversation about the week that catapulted him to the top of the race.

Secretary Becerra opens up about:

Plus, Mike shares on-the-ground insights from hundreds of voters who are fu...

Chuck Rocha and Mike Madrid are back together for a must-see episode. The data is undeniable: Latino voters are shifting away from the Republican Party at historic speed, and the 2026 midterms may be more consequential for the Latino community than any election in recent memory.

Chuck and Mike break down the explosive overperformance by Democrats in recent special elections, including a 23-point swing in the Marjorie Taylor Greene seat in Georgia and a 56-point shift in heavily Latino precincts in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Then they go district by district through Cook Political Report's 17 toss-up House seats, showing how...

Mike Madrid flies solo this week, and delivers one of the most data-packed, unfiltered episodes yet. No Chuck Rocha means no filter. Just raw polling analysis and the hard truths about what the numbers mean for Latino voters heading into the 2026 midterms.

Mike breaks down why Donald Trump is polling at historic lows. TRUMP'S WORST APPROVAL RATING EVER. Worse than Nixon during Watergate, worse than Biden at his worst, and worse than any second-term president in modern polling history. He digs into new data showing Trump underwater on every major issue, with immigration...

Tejano music star Bobby Pulido (José Roberto Pulido Jr.) returns to the Latino Vote Podcast after securing the 2026 Democratic Primary win for Texas's 15th congressional district to discuss why his campaign is turning heads across the country.

Bobby breaks down how how his campaign turned a political attack about quinceañeras into a viral movement with over 2,000 families inviting him to celebrate with them, why rapid response and instinct matter more than focus groups, and how his team has kept Republican incumbent Monica de la Cruz on defense from day one.

In this episode:...

Breaking news shakes the Latino community as a bombshell New York Times investigation into César Chávez forces a major moment of reckoning. Chuck Rocha and Mike Madrid react in real time and unpack what these disturbing allegations mean for Latino political identity, labor history, and how we honor movements without deifying individuals.

Then, the guys break down the Illinois Senate primary results: Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton edges out Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi in a stunning upset — and Chuck is fired up that in a race where $50 MILLION was spent, virtually nothing went toward Span...