Harris and Castro rise among Hispanics after the first democratic debate

After a robust performance in the first presidential debate, Julián Castro solidified and strengthened his position, while Kamala Harris now stands as the current favorite among Hispanics eligible to vote in the primary elections.

In a a Univision News poll prior to the debate, only 6 percent said they saw the California senator as their favorite, a 16-percentage point change.

Similarly, Castro, who came in third place with 9 percent of the preference in our pre-debate survey, rose to second place. Of those interviewed, 18 percent identified the former mayor of San Antonio as their favorite candidate. Biden loses -5 percentage points, Sanders 4 and O'Rourke 2.

Regarding the debate, a large portion of respondents, 32 percent, say they see Harris as the winner, while 28 percent say that Castro won. A smaller percentage saw Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren as the winners, at 18 percent and 17 percent, respectively.

It is evident that they are following the candidates’ performances closely and are identifying their different strengths.

In of immigration, 31 percent think that Castro has the best proposal. Nearly a third prefer the healthcare reform plan offered by Sanders, as well as his proposal to pay off student debt. And 19 percent believe that Harris offers the best proposal to deal with gun violence.

There is still a long way to go to Election Day, but the results of this survey show that Latinos are listening to government proposals attentively and enthusiastically.

Some proposals on topics such as health, immigration and student debt do seem to be factors that will motivate Latino voters.

You can read the full survey here.