Political competition in Latin America has traditionally focused on economic cleavages, but the increasing salience of cultural and identity-based issues—such as gender roles, reproductive rights, and LGBT policies—signals the rise of a two-dimensional ideological space. This paper examines the left-authoritarian voters, a significant yet underrepresented group that combines support for economic redistribution with conservative cultural preferences. Despite their prevalence, these voters often lack political outlets and disproportionately support right-authoritarian parties, creating a unique "representational puzzle" in Latin America.

Using data from the 2023 AmericasBarometer (LAPOP) and the Parliamentary Elites in Latin America (PELA) survey from the University of Salamanca, we map the ideological positions of voters and parties across 13 countries. Our analysis reveals a significant ideological misalignment, with 27.5% of left-authoritarian voters aligning with right-authoritarian parties, prioritizing authoritarian cultural values over economic preferences. Furthermore, left-authoritarian parties, where they exist, struggle to reduce ideological distances with voters, particularly on cultural dimensions like gender and identity issues.

These findings challenge the dominant single-dimensional narrative of Latin American politics and highlight the "unmet demand" for left-authoritarian representation. This study underscores the need to reconsider party strategies and ideological realignments to better represent the diversity of voter preferences in the region.