Latinas as Political Candidates

Throughout American political history, Latinos as a group have long been overlooked with regard to candidates that break barriers. Despite having reasonably politically active populations (with voting), it's only in recent political history that Latinos have been courted by both political parties hoping to gain a powerful voting bloc. Latinas in particular have been neglected in the past. They're also less likely to be asked to run for office or head a political organization due to factors such as language barriers and socio-economic status (Montoya, et al; 557). 

Through the late 90s and onward, it became clear that Latinas were a force to be reckoned with when they stepped up to the plate. They became powerful leaders in community mobilization, such as the Mothers of East Los Angeles organization and groups organizing for environmental justice (Montoya, et al; 558). As Latinas become leaders in their respective communities, it becomes a more natural step to run for office. It becomes easier to run a credible campaign with a background in organizing.

On an individual level, research shows that women tend to doubt their qualifications when considering a run for office more than male candidates do, which leads them to seek out leadership roles (organizing or head of a group, for example) prior to launching a campaign for public office (Bejarano, 57). Another pattern arises when examining the "candidate qualities" present within Latinas who have run. 

Interestingly, the success of Latinas running for office has some clear patterns. Historically, Latina candidates have performed better in districts that are either majority Hispanic/Latino or the majority is made up of Hispanics/Latinos and White voters, and they perform worse when the district has a higher Black voter population (Bejarano, 55). Nationally, Latinas perform well in states with large communities of Hispanic/Latino voters, including Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, and Texas. 

In recent cycles, both parties have made concentrated efforts to recruit Latino and Latina candidates, especially in races where they may provide an advantage. In 2022, 40 members of the House of Representatives were Hispanic/Latino, only about 9.2% of the chamber. 29 of those were Democrats alongside 11 Republicans. In the 2022 election cycle, there were 50 Hispanic/Latino Democrats running for the House and 33 Hispanic/Latino Republicans.

  1.  Bejarano, Christina E. "The Latina Advantage: Gender, Race, and Political Success", University of Texas Press, 2013, pp. 53–72. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7560/745643.7. Accessed 4 Nov. 2022

  2. Bureau, U.S. Census. Explore Census Data, https://data.census.gov/table? q=p2&g=0500000US48201&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2.

  3. "Exit Polls for Midterm Elections Results 2022 | CNN Politics." CNN, Cable News Network, https://www.cnn.com/election/2022/exit-polls/nevada/senate/7.

  4. Contreras, Russell. “Latinas to Watch in the U.S. Midterm Elections.” Axios, 8 Nov. 2022, https://www.axios.com/2022/11/08/midterm-elections-democrats-republicans-latinas
  5. Edmondson, Catie. “Cortez Masto, the Senate's Most at-Risk Democrat, Fights to Hang on in Nevada.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 25 Oct. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/25/us/elections/cortez-masto-nevada-senate.html
  6. Martinez, Marissa. “Lina Hidalgo Could Be Democrats' Future in Texas. She Has to Make It through the Midterms First.” POLITICO, 9 May 2022, https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/09/lina-hidalgo-texas-democrats-future-midterms-00031055
  7. Montoya, Lisa J., et al. “Latina Politics: Gender, Participation, and Leadership.” PS: Political Science and Politics, vol. 33, no. 3, 2000, pp. 555–61. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/420858. Accessed 4 Nov. 2022.
  8. Natarajan, Anusha, and Carolyne Im. “Key Facts about Hispanic Eligible Voters in 2022.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 12 Oct. 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/10/12/key-facts-about-hispanic-eligible-voters-in-2022/.
  9. Philipps, Dave. “Catherine Cortez Masto Wins Nevada to Become First Latina Senator.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Nov. 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/us/politics/nevada-senate-catherine-cortez-masto.html.
  10. Schneider, Andrew. “Crime and Partisanship Are Likely to Be the Main Factors Deciding the Harris County Judge's Race.” Houston Public Media, 25 Oct. 2022, https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/2022/10/24/435692/crime-partisanship-harris-county-judges-race-hidalgo-mealer/.
  11. Silva, Andrea, and Carrie Skulley. “Always Running: Candidate Emergence among Women of Color over Time.” Political Research Quarterly, vol. 72, no. 2, 2019, pp. 342–59. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/45276913. Accessed 4 Nov. 2022.
  12. "Women Elected Officials by Position." Women Elected Officials by Position | CAWP Data, https://cawpdata.rutgers.edu/women-elected-officials/position?current=1&yearend_filter=All&level%5B%5D=Statewide&race_ethnicity%5B%5D=Hispanic%2FLatina&items_per_page=50.
  13. Zaveri, Mihir. “Lina Hidalgo, a 27-Year-Old Latina, Will Lead Harris County, Texas' Biggest.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Nov. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/08/us/politics/lina-hidalgo-harris-county.html.

 

 

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