{"id":13355,"date":"2023-08-08T15:33:13","date_gmt":"2023-08-08T15:33:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/latinosreadytovote.org\/?p=13355"},"modified":"2023-08-10T19:27:09","modified_gmt":"2023-08-10T19:27:09","slug":"latino-voting-power-is-rising-in-the-age-of-trump-will-the-surge-continue-in-california-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinosreadytovote.org\/?p=13355","title":{"rendered":"Latino voting power is rising in the age of Trump. Will the surge continue in California?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by<\/em> Yesenia Amaro<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Long considered a sleeping giant of the electorate<\/a> by many, Latino voters in California are increasingly flexing political muscle at the ballot box \u2014 a development possibly sparked by President Donald Trump\u2019s rhetoric against undocumented immigrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the 2018 November midterm election, the eligible turnout rate for Latinos (the percentage of adult citizens who voted) was 35.9 percent \u2014 an 18.6 percent increase from the 2014 midterm election, according to data released by the University of Southern California\u2019s Civic Engagement Project.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mindy Romero, a research assistant professor and director of the California Civic Engagement Project at USC, said in Fresno County, the total voter turnout was 41.5 percent, and for Latinos eligible to vote, it was 30.3 percent. Statewide, the total voter turnout was 50 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some might argue that Latinos actually lost power in state government last year with the departure of former Sen. Kevin de Leon, who was the senate\u2019s president pro tempore. And although they are the state\u2019s largest ethnic group<\/a>, Latinos are less than a quarter of the Legislature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, the number of Latinos in state government appears to be growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state\u2019s Latino Caucus now has 33 members \u2014 a new record<\/a>, according to caucus spokesman Roger Salazar. That includes five statewide office holders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The USC data also comes amid many \u201cfirsts\u201d for Latino politicians and legislators in Sacramento. For example, two Latinas are leading the state\u2019s Latino Legislative Caucus for the first time<\/a> \u2014 the caucus\u2019 chair Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, and Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, the vice chair, who grew up in Fresno.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some members of the Latino Caucus have been active in pushing back against the Trump administration\u2019s anti-immigration policies. For example, State Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who is also a member of the Latino Caucus, has sued the federal government 47 times as of this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most recent lawsuit was filed over President Donald Trump\u2019s declaration of a national emergency<\/a> at the U.S.- Mexico border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was opposition to Trump behind midterm surge?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To put the latest USC statistics into perspective, back in 1994, when California voters approved Proposition 187, Latinos only accounted for 8 to 10 percent of those who voted in the election, according to UC Davis\u2019 Migration Dialogue.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prop. 187, which would have barred undocumented immigrants from receiving a variety of services, didn\u2019t make it past federal court,<\/a> and thus never became law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latino voters comprised 21 percent of total votes in the 2018 election<\/a>, up from 15 percent in the 2014 midterm election, according to figures by Political Data Inc. and the California Civic Engagement Project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romero said it\u2019s difficult to know exactly why more Latino voters went out to vote, as researchers would have to survey each individual voter. Latinos also include a range of cultures and political persuasions that include Republican and Democratic voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted there was more money and more Latino voter mobilization during the November elections, although those efforts still fall short of what\u2019s needed to maximize that vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut Trump and the mobilization that happened around him .. it appears made strong impact,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gonzalez believes Trump, who has used words like \u201crapists\u201d<\/a> and \u201cmurderers\u201d to describe Mexicans, played a role in the number of Latinos that took to the polls in November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Latinos come from mixed and immigrant families, she said, and understand the \u201chatred\u201d that has resulted in \u201cbad policies\u201d for Latinos communities from the Trump administration. \u201cI think it is a motivating factor,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Latinos, Gonzalez said, didn\u2019t believe that Trump would be elected as president and will now \u201cnever\u201d allow their voices to go unheard. She believes there will be a \u201crecord turnout\u201d for Latinos during the 2020 Presidential elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts also believe there\u2019s a link between the rise in Latino voters in November and the large number of Latinos in elected office today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some say it was Latino voters who helped Democrats flip seven House seats<\/a> during the midterm election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is definitely research that shows that when you have a co-ethnic (candidate) on the ballot minorities are more likely to pay attention to the election,\u201d said Annabella Espa\u00f1a Najera, associate professor with the Department of Chicano and Latin American Studies at Fresno State, in an email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s known, Espa\u00f1a Najera said, that reaching out to certain populations that traditionally don\u2019t tend to vote, makes an impact on voter turnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many leaders say the growing visibility of Latinos in politics, particularly women, will lead to more representation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, who was elected in November, said having two women at the helm of the Latino Caucus, especially one with a connection to the Central Valley, is \u201cinspiring.\u201d \u201cTo me, this is a pivotal moment \u2014 not only for my family but for the community where I was raised,\u201d Hurtado said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently there are 36 women in the state\u2019s Legislature, and 15 of them are Latinas<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hurtado said voters in November showed they were \u201cnot only ready for women to lead, but ready to Latinas to lead as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is also a very significant moment for women and women of color,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christopher Jude Clark, an assistant professor at the University of Northern Carolina at Chapel Hill, who studies black caucuses, but has an interest in minority caucuses overall, said having two women leading the caucus for the first time is of \u201csymbolic importance\u201d for women and young girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are setting an agenda, and are now the face for Latina women. \u201cI think that\u2019s really the core,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom a policy standpoint, we have more seats and that translates into voting power,\u201d Clark said, adding that it would result in better policy representation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means that Latinos will have \u201cmore voice, more sway\u201d when it comes to policy. For example, that could result in better positioning for Latinos in California when it comes to issues related to education, health care and immigration, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More women got elected to public office in November, not only in California, but across the country, Espa\u00f1a Najera said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women represent 30 percent of lawmakers in California. Espa\u00f1a Najera said its known that when there\u2019s a good representation of the population, it encourages others to be civically engaged. \u201cThey see themselves reflected there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legislation in the age of Trump<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The caucus, which was originally called the California Chicano Legislative Caucus, was established in 1973 with only five members, all of whom were men, according to its historical timeline. The caucus was formed to empower the state\u2019s Latino communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The caucus has grown over the years, and its current body shows its maturity, Gonzalez said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Durazo has already introduced a piece of legislation to provide health care for all, regardless of immigration status. Senate Bill 29 is scheduled to have its first hearing on March 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, plans to reintroduce a bill to ban immigration consultants, who often practice beyond their scope and defraud the immigrant community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those are just a few examples of several bills that have been proposed by, and are largely aimed at, Latinos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Durazo said she\u2019s proud to be one of the new four Latinas in the Senate, and she\u2019s ready for the work ahead. Immigration is a hot-button issue at the top of the list for lawmakers because of the \u201cdiscriminatory nature\u201d under the Trump administration, she said. \u201cWe have to take extra steps,\u201d she said of protecting immigrant communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think because of the Latino Caucus and because of who (Gov. Gavin Newsom) is, I think our presence, especially as women in the leadership, is going to enable the governor to take stronger positions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, Durazo said Newsom in his budget proposed $5 million to help families from the Central American caravan at the U.S. -Mexico border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are going to continue to see those kind of policies,\u201d she said. But California can\u2019t do it alone, Durazo said, but she believes the state is setting a standard for other states to follow. \u201cWe should all be pushing back,\u201d she said. \u201cTo push back on Trump and win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expect more of the same pushback to continue, lawmakers and experts say. \u201cCalifornia will continue to push back as much as (it) can,\u201d Espa\u00f1a Najera said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caballero said one of the actions the Legislature has been working on is to protect the state\u2019s economy. But in doing that, immigrants have to be protected as well because of the role they play in the economy. Some immigrants are terrified \u201cthat someone in their family can be deported.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI expect that we\u2019ll continue to push back in ways that helps us defend immigrants,\u201d she said. \u201cThat mental stress is very difficult for many… What we are trying to do, is to make sure that we can provide as much stability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Durazo expects Latinos to show up to the polls in a higher number for the 2020 presidential election, to elect \u201ccandidates that respond to our community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf they don\u2019t respond to our community, they shouldn\u2019t be elected,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yesenia Amaro Is a political writer for the Sacramento Bee<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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