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The state GOP is reaching out to Hispanics
Republican congressional candidate Jon Barela, left, and gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez are evidence that the GOP is reaching out to Hispanics. (Courtesy photos)
“The Republican Larrazoloites of the 21st century are homeless.”
The above line in Monahan’s blog caught my attention and I began to wonder if this statement holds any truth.
Next summer I will be retiring from the military and I would like to get more involved in the political scene back home. So I am in the process of doing research to see for myself if a Hispanic from the poor north-side barrio of Artesia can find a home in New Mexico’s Grande ‘Ole Party.
Growing up and going through college I was always led to believe that the political home for me was without question the Democratic Party. This was the working-people’s party that stood up for minority rights and was best suited to represent Hispanic values at all levels of government.
So if this is in fact truth, I can’t help but wonder why currently only one of our five federally elected representatives is of Hispanic background.
Johnny F. Luévano Jr.
All of our current U.S. congressman and senators are Democrats, so if the Democratic Party is indeed the big tent home for Hispanics, why don’t we have more than one U.S. congressional representative from New Mexico? I am sure when the 2010 census is complete Hispanics will remain the majority population of our state, so why the disparity?
Several GOP Hispanic candidates this year
If we include our territory days, the facts give the GOP a historical slight edge in terms of successfully electing Hispanics from New Mexico to represent us at the federal level. This contradicts the wedge rhetoric that constantly attempts to divide the two major parties on race.
To be fair, the Republicans haven’t done a very good job courting more Hispanic candidates since our early days, but the same could be said of the Democratic Party, because we haven’t had a Hispanic U.S. senator since 1977 and there was a 12-year U.S. congressman gap before Ben Ray Luján was elected to Congress.
But politics is a “What have you done for me lately?” arena, and we must give GOP Chairman Yates a tremendous amount of credit for fielding several Hispanics on this year’s ballot that include Hispanic congressional and gubernatorial candidates.
Where are the Democratic Party Hispanic candidates for governor? How much success did Hispanic candidates have in the 2008 U.S. congressional Democratic primaries? Mayor Chávez was bullied out of the U.S. Senate Democratic primary race, and no other Democrats dare challenge Diane Denish.
Meanwhile, Susana Martinez was able to garner the majority of Republican delegates at the GOP preprimary convention and Jon Barela is set for a general-election challenge against our congressman from Missouri who represents NM CD1.
I know the biggest question remains how a Hispanic woman will do in a Republican Primary. I am not sure, but we as Hispanics can only ask for the opportunity to compete within both parties with the results based on hard work and merit. These are American ideas, and I am sure Susana Martinez is up for the task as she has already demonstrated through her winning the GOP preprimary convention.
Don’t ‘dumb-stamp’ the voting ballot
So if we look at the recent facts, it is clear that Chairman Yates is beginning to reach out to Hispanics and the GOP is providing leadership opportunities on the same pace or even more than the Democratic Party. As Hispanics, I think it is important that we consider both parties to represent our interests because our elected representatives should be selected on the merit of their ideas and not solely the stereotypical wedge-based rhetoric of race.
Until we are able to get beyond associating race with a particular party, those who traditionally hold the keys to political power will continue to manipulate the growing Hispanic voting base in favor of a one-sided argument.
So my hat is off to Chairman Yates and his staff for a job well done. I as a Hispanic appreciate the effort to re-open “The Republican Larrazoloites Home.”
My challenge to all New Mexican Hispanics is to not “dumb-stamp” the voting ballot (straight-party voting). Let us begin making these politicos earn our votes based on the merit and execution of their ideas.
Luévano, a registered independent, is a Marine Corps officer with 18 years of active-duty service and an Artesia native. He graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2001 with a bachelor’s in political science and economics and from the University of Kansas in 2008 with a master’s in public administration. The views expressed are those of the individual only and not those of the Department of Defense. You can reach him at jfluevano@gmail.com.
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I wonder if Luévano is intending to run for office himself… maybe this piece is merely intended to cozy up with Chairman Yates. Read between the lines.
wedum59, yes I might want to know about that if a politician claims to be and seeks to be identiied as Hispanic as a way of currying votes. It has nothing to do with “male chauvinism”. Being of mixed ethnicity myself, I am always curious why people, usually politicians, want to be identified by one side or the other of their mixed ethnic heritage. I also feel a person’s upbringing and culture where they are raised is as or more important than ethnicity anyway. In that regard, I am curious why Bill’s being born in Los Angeles, living for his first 13 years in Mexico City, and then growing up and being educated in the Boston and DC areas qualifies him for being an Hispanic who knows and understands New Mexico’s ethnicities and cultures and can identify with same.
Mr. Luevano is active duty? I thought military were to be non-political. EQMunoz comments also relate to the local GOP. They have never reached out to local Hispanics even when given the opportunity. You would think that with local candidiates like Susana, Erroll Chavez and Jamie Estrada, they would make the effort. Not so much.
It would seem we are back to electing officials because of their ethnicity, and not because of their principals, or beliefs. This was the mistake made with Barack Obama and that did not turn out well at all. I do agree with vceofrezon that Errol Chavez is a man that all should get behind, not because he is Hispanic, black, or any other race but because he is the man with the experience and background and the man that will do the best job.
We need to stop trying to bring ethnicity, or the fact that a candidate for office is a woman into the equation. Look at the person and what they stand for, and will they do the job they are elected to do. Voting for Susana Martinez is the choice to be made for Governor, not because she is a woman, or because she is Hispanic, but by reasoning that she is the best person to fill the job.
Let’s not make the mistake we did when the people elected Richardson, because he was Hispanic, but use reasoning in our choices for our leaders. We don’t need leaders that want to grow our government at our expense, we need leaders that will shrink the size of government by getting rid of featherbedding politicians that are appointed because they backed a candidate in the election. The cost to the people of New Mexico is too great.
Appreciate Munoz enthusiasm, but Leuvano has been a commentator for quite a while – he has view, he can present it – Heath provides a good forum in which to read what the views are. Not all of them are correct in their view …
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rooseveltrepublican and Astute Observer have both hit the nail on the head!! Who is this Luevano person that you are allowing to commentate for your site? He knows nothing about Republican politics in this state. Harvey Yates and the crew at the NM GOP deserve no credit for recruiting Hispanic candidates! I bet you a million dollars that can call every one of them and ask them “Did Harvey ask you to run” and the answer would be “Harvey who”?
Oh and you’re right Astute Observer, he did conveniently forget a lot of Hispanic candidates out there. What about John Sanchez? or Jaime Estrada, or like you said, Diana Duran and Erol Chavez?
Mr. Haussamen, don’t degrade your site by opening it to every self serving wannabe political analyst out there.
rooseveltrepublican, you are correct. How that escaped my mind I do not know.
Note that the former chair of the NM Republican party is certainly not supporting the GOP Hispanic candidate for governor. Weh is so determined to beat her that he has loaned his own campaign $750,000.
Dr. J sounds like a bit of a male chauvinist, saying that Richardson is “only half Hispanic.” If the politician’s paternal surname is Hispanic, would he ferret out the ethnicity of the mother and call that person “half” Hispanic?
or … Dianna Duran? Because the purpose of the article wasn’t to highlight hispanic candidacys … it was intended to focus on two – particularly Martinez – and lay the ground work for another(his own) candidacy at a later date.
Why doesn’t this article mention the Republican candidate that was recruited to run for State Auditor? Errol J. Chavez is a highly respected Hispanic who has voluntarily served as the head of numerous Hispanic professional associations. This man also served in the Federal DEA and was honored by the NAACP for helping to bring the first discrimination suit against the DEA on behalf of Hispanic Agents. This is a New Mexico Hispanic Republican that all voters can get behind.
Richard_C’s comment “if I’m not mistaken, Barela is the first Hispanic Republican to run in the 1st Congressional District).” seems to forget that the longest serving Congressman ever from Congressional District 1 is Hispanic Republican Manuel Lujan who went on to become the Secretary of Interior under President George H. W. Bush (Bush 41)
Small correction to my previous comment: Of Domenici’s FIVE Democratic opponents for re-election starting in 1978, FOUR were Hispanic. Earlier I state that it was three out of four.
How utterly bizarre. Where to begin? How about the flimsy premise? The Democratic Party is not really a “big tent” for Hispanics? Based on what? Only one member of the congressional delegation is currently Hispanic — along with the fact that before Ben Ray Lujan’s 2008 election the last one was in 1977, you say? And this is the supposed to be the Dems’ fault?
If we’re going to dish out history lessons, it would be helpful to actually know the history. Of the four Democratic challengers who went up against Pete Domenici, starting in 1978, note the following: Anaya, Pratt, Benevidez, Trujillo, and Tristani. Three of the four were Hispanic.
As a previous comment noted, Heather Wilson faced Democratic challenges from Romero (twice) and Madrid. The Republican congressman in CD1 prior to Wilson was Steve Schiff. Of his four re-election bids, he faced Hispanic Democrats in two of them.
In the 1990s, Republican Congressman Joe Skeen in CD2 faced Hispanic Democratic challenges three times.
So blame the voters or blame the Republican Party, but you can hardly blame the Democratic Party.
So much for the “federal” level. What we see at the legislative level is such a disturbing indictment of the GOP, one begins to wonder whether this prominently featured post was really meant to be a parody of Glen Beck. Seriously. This must be a joke.
Currently in the NM Legislature, 70 of the 112 members are Democrats. Of those 70 Dems, 40 are Hispanic. Hispanic Democrats hold most of the leadership positions. By contrast, of the 42 Republicans in the leg, there are a grand total of TWO — Larranaga and a Latina, Nora Espinoza, who is Panamanian. That is the face of your New Mexico Republican Party.
But here’s the lamest bit of all: “If we include our territory days, the facts give the GOP a historical slight edge in terms of successfully electing Hispanics from New Mexico to represent us at the federal level.”
Good grief! So by that logic then I guess “at the federal level” we should credit TODAY’S Republican Party with the 23 African-Americans that were elected in the South during the Reconstruction era right after the Civil War. But that would overlook the fact that in the last 110 years Republicans have elected just three.
A lot has changed since 1876 — or more significantly, since 1966. What was once the Party of Lincoln is today the party of neo-confederates and neo-secessionists, states’ rights and nullification. It’s the party that welcomed Dixiecrat segregationists like Strom Thurmond who fled the Democratic Party in the midst of the Civil Rights movement. Today’s Republican Party is home to those most hostile to immigrants.
Indeed, if the Great Emancipator were alive today he wouldn’t recognize the Grand Old Party that New Mexico Hispanics, like Governor Larrazolo, once supported 80 some years ago.
RIchard_C
You are right, it doesn’t matter what color of skin one has–so don’t give this disgruntled guy more credibility than he deserves just because of he is a Latino.
Back when this artilcle was posted on Heath’s site, it was clear that this “staffer” had other issues besides the GOP not embracing his ideas for hispanic outreach, umm.. namely plagarizing other people’s work. The outreach plan he provided for heath’s article is a direct, line-by-line rip off from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Check it out for yourself….
EPA National Hispanic Outreach Strategy
Found at: http://www.epa.gov/ohr/hispanicoutreach/strategy.html
EPA: Community Partnerships, Collaborative Neighborhood Solutions
Sergio Garcia: Community Partnerships, Collaborative Local and Statewide Solutions
EPA–To build effective partnerships with Hispanic organizations and communities to raise their environmental awareness in order to seek neighborhood solutions
SG– To build effective partnerships with Hispanic organizations, communities, and leaders to raise their political awareness in order to seek New Mexican solutions
EPA- To develop a proactive approach to the environment and public health priorities of the diverse Hispanic neighborhoods
SG–To develop a proactive approach to the economic and social priorities of the diverse Hispanic communities throughout New Mexico
EPA–To promote EPA’s mission in Spanish through mass communications efforts geared towards the diverse Hispanic community throughout the nation
SG–To promote RPNM’s mission in English and Spanish through mass communications efforts geared towards the diverse Hispanic community throughout the state
EPA–To provide timely, accurate and professional translations of EPA outreach materials in order to communicate the Agency’s message to the diverse Hispanic community
SG–To provide timely, accurate and professional translations of RPNM outreach materials in order to communicate the party’s message to the diverse Hispanic community
EPA: Collaboration and Assistance
SG: Collaboration and Assistance
EPA–To encourage EPA collaboration with Hispanic community based organizations and businesses by broadening the Agency’s financial and technical assistance to these entities
SG–To encourage RPNM collaboration with Hispanic community based organizations and businesses by broadening the party’s political-technical assistance to these entities
EPA–To increase outreach efforts to Hispanic-owned businesses and community based organizations to empower the diverse Hispanic community through EPA procurement and grants
SG–To increase outreach efforts to Hispanic-owned businesses and community based organizations to empower the diverse Hispanic community through RPNM elected and appointed structure
EPA–To develop tracking systems that monitor EPA financial resources going to the Hispanic community
SG–To develop tracking systems that monitor RPNM technical and financial resources going to the Hispanic community
EPA: Environmental Stewardship Through Education
SG: Political Stewardship Through Education
EPA–To engage Hispanics in the environmental stewardship of natural resources through education
SG–To engage Hispanics in the political stewardship of New Mexican problems and solutions through education
EPA–To provide information on environmental education to Hispanic communities throughout the nation
SG–To provide information on education to Hispanic communities throughout the state
EPA–To foster closer working relationships with Hispanic Serving Institutions and to improve assistance wherever possible
SG–To foster closer working relationships with Hispanic Serving Institutions and to improve technical assistance wherever possible
EPA–To promote EPA’s mission to Hispanic Serving Institutions and strengthen EPA’s presence on campuses across the nation
SG–To promote RPNM’s mission to Hispanic Serving Institutions and strengthen RPNM’s presence on campuses across the state
EPA: Recruitment, Employment and Professional Development
SG: Recruitment, Employment and Political Development
EPA–To develop recruitment strategies which identify EPA as an employer of choice committed to fair and equal employment opportunities
SG: To develop political recruitment strategies which identify talented Hispanics as viable candidates of choice committed to RPNM’s values and principles (keeping in mind the diverse nature of Hispanic communities in New Mexico)
EPA: To ensure that Hispanic American employees have an equal opportunity to participate in professional development programs and opportunities by removing any barriers to such participation
SG: To ensure that Hispanic American activists and candidates have an opportunity to participate in political development programs and opportunities
EPA–To adopt policies and procedures that promote the accountability of EPA managers and supervisors for achieving equal employment opportunity and fairness, particularly in senior management positions
SG: To adopt policies and procedures that promote the accountability of RPMN and County GOP elected and appointed officials for achieving recruitment and political development goals as established by RPNM Executive Committee
Richard_C says: “New Mexico’s governor is a Latino Democrat — Bill Richardson” That’s only half correct.
The subtle jab of this article is that elected Democrats aren’t open to Latinos. Yet Luévano forgets to mention some key facts.
For example, it is true that Heinrich is not Latino, but the previous two who ran for Congress as Democrats in that seat where Patricia Madrid and Richard Romero. In Albuquerque, two Latino Democrats (Romero again and Martin Chavez) ran for mayor. For Lt. Gov, Brian Colón, Lawrence Rael, Jerry Ortiz y Pino, Jose Campos and Linda Lopez are all running as Democrats.
New Mexico’s governor is a Latino Democrat — Bill Richardson. In the state legislature, Michael Sanchez and Ben Lujan lead their respective chambers. A number of other top-ranking Democrats are Latino.
The chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico is Javier Gonzales, another Latino.
It is refreshing that the Republican Party is finally reaching out to Latinos, but pretending that Latinosdon’t have a home or voice in the Democratic Party and do in a Republican Party because two candidates are Latinos(the other four Republican gubernatorial are not Hispanic, and if I’m not mistaken, Barela is the first Hispanic Republican to run in the 1st Congressional District).
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what color your skin is to many New Mexicans, but if Luévano wants to focus on race, he should at least look at all of the facts, including the fact that a Latino Republican left a job in the state party because they did not know how to do outreach to Latinos in the state [http://haussamen.blogspot.com/2009/08/former-gop-staffer-complains-about.html].