According to several estimates, roughly one in four registered voters in Arizona identifies as Hispanic. This group's population and power are surging across Arizona and the country, with many saying Hispanic voters will likely decide the outcomes of many key races, including the race for the White House.
According to a recent NBC News-Telemundo poll, Vice President Kamala Harris leads former President Donald Trump among Hispanic voters 54% to 40%. However, the findings of that poll also show that's the lowest amount of Hispanic support for any Democratic candidate in the past four election cycles.
Some say it's a sign of a seismic shift towards Republicans among Hispanic and Latino voters, while others say this voting block will still be key for big Democratic wins this November.
ABC15's Nick Ciletti recently traveled around the Valley and the state to gain more insight and dive deeper into how the Hispanic vote is becoming more important than ever.
"Latinos for Trump - we just want to get the message out there," explains Gerardo Reyes, who we met at an August rally for former President Donald Trump in Glendale.
Reyes explains it's a message that's catching on, especially with other Hispanic voters like Jennifer D'Souza.
"Everything was better four years ago," says D'Souza. "And that's because of Trump's policies."
Both Reyes and D'Souza are part of what Republicans have said is a growing shift towards the GOP among Hispanic voters.
"I do see the trend," explains Reyes.
"There's been an interest in it this year because Trump, earlier in the year, had begun to make gains," explains Arizona State University professor Craig Allen, who has also spent years researching media habits in the Hispanic community.
Allen says he's also noticed a shift among Hispanic voters but describes it as a "slow, water-dripping process."
Allen says former President Trump's message on the economy may be one reason he's performing better than previous Republican presidential candidates, but not everyone agrees.
"I think they're dreaming," explains Tony Estrada, the former Santa Cruz County Sheriff and longtime Democrat who is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris. "They're dreaming. It's only going to be good for rich people."
Community organizer and former Arizona Democratic Party chair Raquel Teran says the enthusiasm she is seeing for Vice President Harris among Hispanic voters is undeniable.
"Latino voters will support Kamala Harris," says Teran. "Latino voters will be with Kamala Harris. We see those conversations at the doors. We need to make sure Latino voters come out and vote and it's our job to engage them."
And when it comes to activating Hispanic voters, the data also supports how important that is.
"Their engagement is more important than ever before," explains Rodrigo Dominguez-Villegas, director of the UCLA Latino Policy Institute, which recently published an in-depth study on Arizona's Hispanic voters.
Domiguez-Villegas says it's not necessarily about who Hispanic voters may choose — it's more about how frequently Hispanic voters show up at the polls.
"Turnout was lower [for Hispanics] than other racial groups," explains Dominguez-Villegas, discussing previous elections. "The explanation as to why that is not because of a lack of engagement; it has to do with first, lower registration rates...And what does that mean? It means we need more efforts to make sure they understand how to vote and where to register and get engaged in the process."
Domiguez-Villegas adds roughly 40% of Hispanic voters are young voters — and across all racial groups, younger voters tend to vote in lower numbers.
He also adds that systemic barriers also exist, such as not feeling represented in the process.
According to UCLA, since 2000, the number of Hispanic voters in Arizona has more than doubled, going from roughly 500,000 that year to more than 1.2 million in 2022.
For more information on the UCLA Latino Policy Institute, head to their website.
