Once derided as a party of privilege far removed from ordinary Spaniards, Santiago Abascal’s Vox is now leading among some of Spain’s lowest-paid and most economically disadvantaged voters, according to an in-depth analysis of the country’s political landscape by El País newspaper.
It notes how Vox’s transformation mirrors the successes of Marine Le Pen in France and Donald Trump in the United States, a trend that could also be applied to Alice Weidel’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
According to the latest July CIS survey, Vox now commands first place in voting intentions among three of the lowest-skilled employment categories: machine operators and assemblers (41.2 percent), workers and artisans (25.8 percent), and elementary occupations (20.2 percent).
The party also tops the poll among the unemployed, with 23.2 percent, leaving Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE far behind in each case. Among those who see themselves as “lower class” or “poor,” Vox’s support has doubled in just one month, from 12 percent to 24.6 percent, overtaking the Socialists (13.5 percent) and the center-right Partido Popular (PP) at 8.7 percent.
This rise comes after years of accusations from the left that Vox could never connect with the working class. The data now shows otherwise. As one Madrid cleaning company driver and member of Vox’s union Solidaridad told El País, “We workers are fed up with promises that have only led to a loss of purchasing power. Vox works on the ground in the neighborhoods and industrial estates — the left abandoned us.”
The Spanish newspaper writes how the party’s gains are rooted in a potent mix of anti-establishment and anti-immigration rhetoric, portraying the state as broken and positioning native workers against the problems created by uncontrolled migration. In working-class districts where residents feel the brunt of foreign crime and economic competition, this message is increasingly striking a chord.
Even in sectors where Vox does not yet lead, such as agriculture, fishing, and forestry, the party has vaulted from negligible support to 27.5 percent — just behind the PP — in a single month. The same pattern is visible among service and sales workers, where Vox now surpasses the PSOE.
While the party still faces challenges among pensioners, women in unpaid domestic work, and university-educated professionals, the momentum is undeniable. Vox’s July surge marks not just a statistical blip but a structural shift: the transformation of Spain’s nationalist right into a genuine force among the country’s poorest voters.
Commenting on the analysis, Abascal ridiculed the left-wing newspaper’s condescending tone regarding his party’s ascendancy, noting its journalists “wonder why the victims of the two-party system are no longer fooled.”
“They are outraged that Spaniards, who suffer from precariousness, the degradation of their neighborhoods, and the lack of public services, have stopped trusting the mafias and scams of the PP and PSOE,” he wrote on X.
🇪🇸 "You are corrupt. You are a traitor. All of Spain knows it."
Epic takedown of Pedro Sánchez in the Spanish parliament by @Vox_es' @Santi_ABASCAL, who accuses the Socialist prime minister of feeding corruption, betraying democracy, and handing Spain over to illegal migrants. pic.twitter.com/I7duTRO3It
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) June 18, 2025“They are horrified that young people and workers are rebelling against the corrupt who are robbing them of the fruits of their labor, their future, and even the integrity of their homeland… And this is just the beginning,” he added, warning that “the day is not far off when a vast majority of Spaniards will send the corrupt to jail, the invaders to their countries, and return security, prosperity, and peace to Spain.”
As is the case in many Western European nations, immigration is becoming a huge factor in the disconnect between the native people and their respective governments, and Spain is no exception.
In March, a study by the Foundation for Applied Economic Studies (Fedea) revealed that 71.4 percent of jobs created between 2019 to 2024 in Spain went to foreigners, while young Spaniards continue to flee the country for opportunities.
Mass immigration remains a key policy of the Sánchez administration, despite considerable opposition. Data from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration revealed that the number of immigrants living in Spain under family reunification permits has surged by more than 650 percent in the past five years of socialist rule — from 43,848 in March 2020 to 328,841 by March this year.
Last month, Vox launched a national campaign demanding a referendum on immigration policy, citing a series of violent incidents involving foreign nationals as evidence of what it calls a “failed and suicidal” immigration model imposed by Spain’s main parties.
“Let them ask in the neighborhoods, in the towns, and in the nation if they want illegal immigrants in Spain,” said Abascal at the time.
Meanwhile, social unrest is brewing across the country as natives express their anger over rising migrant crime. This was most recently seen in Torre Pacheco where mass demonstrations were held following the arrest of three Moroccan men accused of brutally attacking a 68-year-old local resident while he walked through the Spanish town last month.
