Pundits and politicians were hyper-focused on this electorate leading up to the midterms. Now that the dust has settled, we explore what actually happened.

By the time the polls closed in Washington state on the evening of Nov. 8, the narrative was set. The “Red Wave” predicted by many pundits and politicians did not materialize. And, as often happens in a democracy, the storylines that came before Election Day immediately felt like ancient history. Among those storylines: the fight for the Latino vote. 

As we noted in the last episode of the Crosscut Reports podcast, there was a lot of consternation over the Latino vote. Who the people who made up this growing part of the electorate decided to vote for, we were told, could tip the scales and help determine the who would win races at the local, state and national levels.

Of course, the story of the Latino vote didn’t end when the results started rolling in. And early data tells a story that is more complicated than the no-wave narrative and potentially more troubling for Democrats.

For this episode of the Crosscut Reports podcast, we look at the data from Washington state to discern what exactly happened with the Latino vote and where the fight for Latino representation goes from here.

For photos and an accompanying essay, go here. 

Stay tuned for a third and final installment of "Up for Grabs," where we will discuss the court battle that could reshape how Latino voters are represented in Washington state.

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Credits

Host/Producer: Sara Bernard

Reporter: Mai Hoang

Editorial assistance: Brooklyn Jamerson-Flowers

Executive producer: Mark Baumgarten

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