Latino House Republicans have built an electoral infrastructure to protect their members and increase their representation, sometimes in direct competition with Democrats who have a huge head start.
Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-TX) will elect more Republican Hispanics to the House through the Hispanic Leadership Trust (HLT), a PAC launched in 2022 to grow the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. He is leading the effort.
HLT has spent $1.3 million on House Republicans so far this term, including Reps. Lori Chavez Delemer (Oregon), Juan Siscomani (Arizona), David Valadao (California), and John Duarte. Representative (California), supports Representative Monica. Dela Cruz (Texas) and Colorado Congressman Gabe Evans, who is running with Representative Yadira Carabeo (D-Colorado).
“Hispanic Leadership Trust has more than a dozen current Hispanic elected officials, and in many cases, organizations cannot grow without losing market share, so step one is always to ensure that our members We're talking about a really solid, very productive lineup,” Gonzalez told The Hill.
In some cases, HLT-backed legislators and candidates will face off against Hispanic Democrats supported by Bold PAC, the campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC).
Bold PAC is a relatively small operation compared to the big leadership PACs, but it's the 800-pound gorilla in the Latino campaign field.
The group has spent about $3.4 million so far in the general election, including $1.2 million in support of former Bold PAC chairman Rep. Ruben Gallego's (D-Ariz.) Senate race. It is.
Democratic groups also spent six figures defending Carabeo and Reps. Gabe Vazquez (New Mexico), Andrea Salinas (Oregon), and Vicente Gonzalez (Texas).
He also has a six-digit lead over Nebraska state Rep. Tony Vargas, who is running against Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) in a rematch of a close 2022 race.
“There are more Latino candidates on the Republican side. I don't know if the Republican Party is really accepting of Latinos or Latino candidates, but I think it just depends on who happens to be running for that seat. I think so,” said Bold PAC Chairwoman Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.).
“But we have front-line incumbents: Gabe Vazquez, of course Yadira, Andrea Salinas, and Vicente Gonzalez. So we're making investments to make sure they come back. I’m going.”
The two groups are going head-to-head in a toss-up race between Carabeo and Evans, who held their first debate Tuesday.
The debate's most memorable moment came when both candidates struggled with moderator Kyle Clark's demands for candid answers to questions.
Clark, a 9News Denver anchor who has been grilling Colorado candidates in debates for the 2024 election, asked Evans about corporal punishment in schools and former President Trump's comments on immigration. He recommended that he become a central figure in border security.
According to reports, Evans and Caraveo, who are both Hispanic, are in a dead heat.colorado sun. Caraveo won the newly created 8th District by less than 2,000 votes.
She is one of nine freshmen CHC members selected for 2022, a record number. That same year, the Hispanic Conference set its own record by adding six new members to the Republican House of Representatives.
Among this group, only former Rep. George Santos (RN.Y.), who was expelled from the House of Representatives in December, is not running again.
The growing number of Hispanic members in the Republican Party is creating mixed feelings among Democrats.
“I think it's definitely healthy to have more Latino representation, even in the other party, because at least we have a seat at the table. And as we've seen, Latino “On issues that tend to disproportionately impact people, sometimes there are champions on the Republican side,” Sanchez said.
“We will soon reach a quarter of the population of this country, but our representation lags far behind. So we need to increase our numbers and let people choose where their ideology lies. I think that is important.”
But Sanchez said Republicans are making too much of a case for a massive rightward shift among Latino voters.
“What's interesting about South Texas is that the Republican Party is investing there and trying to push this narrative that Latinos are leaving the Democratic Party in droves and reregistering as Republicans. And I I haven’t seen any evidence to support that yet,” she said.
“I have always said that the Latinx community does not have one ideology or one way of thinking. There are differences and we have made inroads little by little, but overall, these areas I think it’s still a solidly Democratic field.”
The view from the other side of the aisle is not much different.
“We need a choice. And I think we need to have a seat at the table because for too many people, for too long, we haven't had a choice. What we're saying is… , the Hispanic community needs to have a seat at the table. They need to have a voice,” Gonzalez said.
And Gonzalez also sees a flaw in that Hispanic perceptions somehow automatically lean toward the Republican Party.
“If Republicans are going to win, they have to win with these demographics. So do we, and we can't be veiled and bland.” [statement] It's like, “You should be a Republican.” “You're really a Republican, you just don't know it.” What does that mean? You say to me, 'Wait a minute, we are the Party of Opportunity.' Then give me specifics,” he said.
