Episode description

Political Power

The proactive strategy of Latino Victory to build power through elections is a recipe for success. They focus on grooming and training candidates who represent their community’s values, empowering Latino voters, and developing a pipeline of Latino donors. The proof is in the pudding: great Latino candidates are exploding Latino turnout.

Demographics

Latinos represent 18% of the U.S. population and natural-born Latinos are the fastest part of demographic growth. Half of them live in states that are not battleground states, which means that most candidates ignore them. In addition, Latinos only make up about 1% of all elected officials. The 2016 election shook this dynamic up, the way that Prop 187 mobilized Latinos in California. Four of the most competitive U.S. Senate races are in Latino states: Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Nevada.

Latino issues are American issues

Surveys show that Latinos prioritize on the issues just like most other Americans. Healthcare tops the list, followed by a strong economy, good jobs, education, and the environment. “You could just as easily call a Latino Victory Fund, "American Victory Fund”.”

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Cristóbal Alex is the President of Latino Victory, an organization that works to grow Latino political power by increasing Latino representation at every level of government and building a base of donors to support this critical work.