Donald Trump may be doing far better with Hispanic voters than the media would have you believe — at least those Hispanic voters who are likely to cast the most ballots this election.

A recent polling analysis from Gallup shows Trump viewed favorably by just 14 percent fewer U.S.-born Hispanic voters than Clinton. Among Hispanic voters who were born outside the United States, that number balloons to 74 percent.

“The more assimilated you are, the more Republican you are”

The results indicate Trump may be doing far better with Hispanics who identify primarily as Americans and those who are the most civically engaged — and therefore more likely to vote.

Political observers attribute Trump’s success making inroads with U.S.-born Hispanics to his focus on jobs and education — and concerns within that community about competing for economic opportunities with new waves of illegal immigrants or refugees.

“The more assimilated you are, the more Republican you are,” says Steven A. Camarota, director of research for the Center of Immigration Studies. “The Democratic Party is more the party of ethnic identity … Longtime residents are more likely to identify with many of the concerns Trump is talking about.”

[lz_table title=”Trump-Clinton Favorability with Hispanic Voters” source=”Gallup”]Voting Bloc,Clinton,Trump
All U.S. Hispanics,65%,21%
U.S.-Born Hispanics,43%,29%
Foreign-Born Hispanics,87%,13%
[/lz_table]

Democrats, often aided by Spanish-language media, have long recognized their vested interest in slowing down or even stopping the process of assimilation, experts say. Instead, they play up their commitment to multicultural values, amnesty, and liberal immigration policies — and label detractors as racist.

Slowing down assimilation into American culture aids Democratic campaign efforts. As long as immigration issues are kept front and center as a concern for Hispanic voters, Democrats can hammer Republicans while avoiding an uncomfortable discussion on the party’s economic record.

This lack of cultural assimilation is a large problem that isn’t discussed, says Israel Ortega, a senior writer at Opportunity Lives and a former spokesman to Spanish media for The Heritage Foundation. Ortega says Trump is the fodder that the left-leaning Spanish-language media stations crave to keep the race divided along ethnic lines.

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“I think the Spanish-language media makes it a point to play up racial grievances,” says Ortega, 35, who himself came to the United States from Mexico.

Ortega points to the antics of Univision’s Jorge Ramos, the openly liberal news anchor whom Trump famously told to leave a media conference. Ramos in turn has not been shy about suggesting Trump is a bigot.

But as the analysis from Gallup indicates, that hurts Trump the most with Hispanic voters born outside of the United States.

Trump’s numbers with that group are considerably worse than with U.S.-born Hispanics: He is viewed favorably or very favorably by only 13 percent of foreign-born Hispanic voters.

Hillary is viewed favorably or very favorably by 87 percent of Hispanic voters born outside of the United States. That segment, however, makes up only a small portion of Hispanic voters — only 13 percent of those Gallup polled.

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Ortega says the situation isn’t unique to Trump. Spanish-language news agencies went after Republican John McCain in 2008, he said.

“If the guy is Republican, they are going to go hard after him,” says Ortega.

Yet Ortega sees a way out for Trump. Republicans seeking Hispanic votes should make jobs and the economy the centerpiece of their campaigns. Jobs and the economy are the top issues with Hispanic-Americans, he said, as that population has been particularly impacted by unemployment and high dropout rates.

But effort has to be made, and Trump and conservatives need to reach out on the bread-and-butter issues. It’s not a futile effort this campaign season, Ortega insists.

“I’m not buying the notion that the conservative movement is done [with Hispanic voters],” Ortega said.