Televisa Univision president says Latino voters no longer ‘sleeping giant’

As the 2026 midterm elections approach, Televisa Univision President Ignacio Meyer is calling for a rethinking of policy priorities with the key Latino voting bloc, “a sleeping giant that no longer sleeps.”

“Hispanic voters are largely sophisticated, are largely independent and they want to be swayed by issues,” Meyer told Axios publisher Nicholas Johnston on Saturday at an SXSW event in Texas, urging both major political parties to “look at how they market to Hispanic voters.”

“They don’t want to be talked to about partisan politics.”

With the 2026 midterm elections set to set the table for the United States, Congress and the White House, Meyer added that the Latino vote is “largely up for grabs” and that there is a “big disconnect” with it.

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Univision President Ignacio Meyer is warning Republicans and Democrats to reach Hispanic voters in “their language” ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. (Mireya Acierto/Getty Images)

“The Hispanic population has been called a great sleeping giant,” he added. “It’s no secret they’re not sleeping anymore. They’re awake. They’re influential, the fastest growing demographic in the United States in culture, sports, news, in any segment.”

President Donald Trump’s border security and legal immigration policies are far more popular with Latino voters than Democrats might have imagined. Trump won more than 48% of the vote in his 2024 presidential election, winning every key battleground state.

Meyer highlighted the recent Texas primaries, saying it was critical to reach out to Hispanic voters in their language, urging them to spend early and often — a boon for his network.

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President Donald Trump’s progress among Hispanic voters has helped make the voting bloc a key battleground in election cycles. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

“Those who did their homework won,” he said, adding that those who didn’t “lost, and they lost big.”

“I’m not a big policy expert,” he admitted, trying to have it both ways to keep campaign funds flowing into political battlegrounds, but “the balance of power in the House and Senate is going to be tipped by very few races this year.”

“Of all these races, each has a high-density Hispanic population. Each of these voting blocs is up for grabs, and they want to be talked to about the issues that are important to them.”

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María Isabel Ramirez prepares dinner with the help of her sons Alex, 18, and Andy, 20, Saturday, January 4, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. (The Washington Post / Contributor)

Univision is America’s largest Spanish-language television network, targeting Latino audiences, and is the way to speak to Hispanic voters “in their language,” something politicians don’t do enough of, according to Meyer.

“Why wouldn’t our civil servants talk to us in the language and culture we deserve to speak, and talk to us about the issues we deserve to be talked to about?” he asked.

“I think people would like to oversimplify what it means to be a Hispanic American in the United States. When you come from another country, you have to fight for your place in different circumstances, in different language.”

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Latinos should not be a check-the-box voting bloc.

“Highly growing population, check the box, spend “Well, there’s no magic.”

“It takes commitment.”

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Rep. Greg Casar, Democrat of Texas, who also spoke on the panel, said Democrats’ losses among Latino voters reflect a broader disconnect with working-class concerns. He argued that the party must focus on economic issues such as lowering prices and improving household finances to regain support.