Letter to editor: How Did We Get Here? A Look into Imperial Valley Politics
During the 2024 election, the Imperial Valley narrowly voted for Trump 49.1% to Harris 48.3%, marking “the first time since 1988 the county voted for a Republican candidate for president.” (Gotta After Historic Shift). It served as a significant shift for Imperial Valley in terms of political voting, but anyone from here can tell you this has been a long time coming.
There are many factors to account for the Imperial Valley’s gradual increase towards the right, including our overwhelming agriculture community, its’ connection to being a border county, the latino immigrant religious influence on political views, the like minded individualism that comes from being the majority, and the job security in law enforcement. While we are also taking steps towards open-mindedness, it is important to challenge our perspectives and talk to those we may not see eye to eye with.
This is a town severely affected by California’s Minimum Wage yearly uptick, with unemployment rapidly increasing in the last five years. “In February 2019, Imperial County had an official unemployment rate of 17.4%, the second-highest in the state.” (Devore Minimum Wage Law). Trump’s campaign promised imposing tariffs and to lower the cost of living, both of which he has not been able to sustain. The county felt abandoned by both parties, and chose who they believed would help them out of this crisis (Gotta After Historic Shift).
There’s a large influence on how we vote politically because of what we believe religiously, and there are many people who truly believe that Trump’s morals align with the party he represents. “Chicano religions have played and continue to play critical, defining roles in the Mexican American community” (Espinosa Mexican American Religions). Trump emphasized his 2024 campaign as a “righteous campaign,” dedicating himself to upholding what religious voters want. However, many people since the 2024 election have realized Trump hasn’t kept any of the promises he’s made.
A person’s way of thinking is hard to challenge when you grow up with people similar to you. Imperial County is predominantly latino, making up 86% of the population (Census), and many of our beliefs are shared with those closest to us. This allows for our perspectives to go unchallenged and become socially acceptable, where people from marginalized communities may feel uncomfortable. There’s nothing wrong with questioning something that others may stand for, going to places outside of the Valley, or finding different news sources so long as you do so with an open mind.
Law enforcement, including jobs such as border patrol, highway patrol, correctional officers, police officers, have been highly successful in creating job security for the valley. Thus, there are many people who truly believe that law enforcement reformation is not needed and they are simply doing a job well done. Trump, who backed "Strengthening and Unleashing America's Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens," gained and/or kept the support from those in law enforcement.
The Imperial Valley has its own charm, a county that highlights the epitome of Mexican culture in a strong community. This county’s values don’t come from a place of hate, but from their whole-hearted confidence in their morals. And while those morals spoke their truth in November of 2024, the recent voting turn out of Prop 50 shows that people have already begun changing their minds about Trump (California Election Results). Who knows how different the voting will look in the upcoming elections, perhaps 2024 was just an anomaly that won’t happen again, but as always, the Imperial Valley will vote with their morals.
Disclosure: The statements and viewpoints expressed in this letter are solely those of the submitting community member. They do not reflect the opinions, positions, or editorial direction of 760 News Media