Alan Carrera, 16, runs one of the fruit drink and frozen treat stands his father established in Las Vegas after starting out as a street vendor selling churros in Los Angeles. Carrera plans to follow in his sister’s footsteps and go to college to study business and return to help run the company. (Tim Henderson/Stateline)
LAS VEGAS — Here in Nevada, where a larger share of Hispanic people have made it into the middle class than in any other state, some see inflation and immigration as reasons to reconsider their long-held loyalty to the Democratic Party.
The Silver State is a place that rewards those willing to start at the bottom — emptying trash in the glittering casinos, wiping down hotel escalators in the stifling heat of vast parking garages or selling snacks and trinkets on the sidewalk.
Many Hispanics who started out doing that kind of work have reached the middle class, but they are worried about crippling housing costs and the arrival of new immigrants who they fear might compete for jobs.