With the midterm election a month away, Latino voters in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh County are in the spotlight as they weigh the economy, the cost of living and President Donald Trump’s performance.

Allentown, located in Lehigh County, is a majority-Latino city, Democratic Mayor Matthew Tuerk said. The city is also part of Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, where a competitive race is underway.

For some voters, the economy is top of mind.

“I feel the economy’s real hard, real tough right now,” Allentown voter Jean Velazquez said.

Velazquez said he voted for Trump three times — in 2016, 2020 and 2024. But he expressed concerns about the economy and rising costs.

“We felt the economy was great back then, first term, and now I feel that he wants to be at war with everybody. It’s making things difficult for everybody, especially with gas prices with the war,” he said. “Prices every day and we’ve got to spend more money for gas. It’s really hard,” Velazquez said.

A new NBC News poll of Latino voters shows 27% approve of the job Trump is doing, while 69% disapprove. On Trump’s handling of the cost of living, 20% approve and 78% disapprove.

Allentown voter Kerly Garrido offered a different perspective, saying the economy has been stable for her.

“I don’t feel the economy is not super good, but it’s stable, and that’s good for me,” she said. “So, I can buy my food. I can go to shopping and, you know, it’s stable,” Garrido said.

NBC10 political reporter Lauren Mayk caught up with local Democrats to see if they’ll run against Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman in the 2028 election. 

Asked how she feels about the job Trump is doing, Garrido said she feels good about his performance even though she does not agree with everything he does.

“I feel good. Honestly, I cannot tell you something that I don’t feel. l feel good. It’s not that I like everything because he’s not perfect, but he’s tried to stable things, that’s my point,” Garrido said.

Tuerk said he believes the election will serve as a referendum on the party in power.

“In this case, it’s President Trump and the Republican party, and i think people are connecting the way they’re feeling when they get up early in the morning, show up from work later in night, with the policies of the party in power,” Tuerk said.

Tuerk described Allentown as a working-class city that has changed significantly over the decades while retaining its focus on families and getting ahead.

“Allentown’s personality is I would say, muy trabajo ahora. We have our working class even though the city has changed a lot over decades, Allentown is still a keep your head down, keep working, keep pushing forward for your family. Do what you can do get ahead,” Tuerk said.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.