By Sunita Sohrabji. Ethnic Media Services.
?Young Latinos just want to have a normal life. Don't we want to be in crisis mode 24/7 with breaking news alerts every two hours? – Santiago Mayer, executive director of Voters of Tomorrow.
Young Latinos, expected to be a major voting bloc in the 2024 presidential election, are turning away from their older relatives and turning left on a number of issues, including gun control, reproductive rights, change climate and immigration policy.
A day before the second Republican presidential debate, the Brennan Center for Justice hosted a Discussion panel on September 26, focused on the growing power of Latino youth. The panel included María Teresa Kumar, executive director of Voto Latino; Santiago Mayer, executive director of Voters of Tomorrow, which he founded at age 17; and Arizona state representative Alma Hernandez, who has been involved in Democratic politics since she was 14 years old. The panel was moderated by Paola Ramos, Vice correspondent and Telemundo and MSNBC contributor.
Latinos are now the second-largest voting bloc in the United States after non-Hispanic white voters. Latinos are also the fastest growing and youngest electorate. In 2022, 34.5 million Latinos were eligible to vote, according to a study by the Pew Research Center, almost 5 million more than in 2018. It is estimated that 70% of Latinos who vote are registered Democrats. However, the candidates' participation with the community is minimal.
'The Good Old Days of Newt Gingrich'
The panelists pointed out that the narratives about the shift of the Latino vote to the right to support former President Donald Trump are based on a deep misinformation campaign, perpetuated both on social networks and in the mainstream media.
Kumar said candidates would have to take a stance on immigration, returning to their party's roots. ?There was a time when the Republican Party was competing for the Latino vote. And not long ago, in 2012, when Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House of Representatives, was on that stage, he was talking about compassionate pathways to citizenship for people who had been in this country for at least 10 or 20 years?
?But today's Republican candidates have failed miserably because, instead, they have politicized workers, people who want to contribute, who are Americans: everything but a social security number. And as a result, we have become polarized as a country in ways we never thought possible.
?So what I would look for in people who move to that stage is some leadership, maturity and straight talking. Because it is very easy to demonize the most vulnerable and marginalized. "But at the end of the day, none of those people who do it have a path to the White House, plain and simple," Kumar said.
The Frat Boy Demographic
"Our job as Latinos is to make sure that we pay attention and hold people accountable because, at the end of the day, we want the same protections that all Americans have, even for our families," he added. ?The person who really wants to have a shot at the White House tomorrow night is going to have to be able to divorce themselves from the dangerous policies that are harming people in Latino communities.?
Mayer analyzed the results of a recent Voters of Tomorrow poll. ?Young people worry about the economy and employment. “This is number one, which is shocking to a lot of people, but is it actually something we feel in our everyday lives,” he said.
?Number two, the right to abortion and access to reproductive care. "Even some of the groups that you wouldn't really think would care about abortion, like the frat boy demographic, for example, are very concerned about this issue," Mayer said.
?We worry about gun violence. We have grown up with the threat of fear in our own classrooms. “We have seen the climate deteriorate and we are very concerned about the climate crisis,” he said, adding that young Latinos are also concerned about LGBTQ rights even if they are not part of the queer community.
'Worlds exploding'
?The bottom line is that young people, especially young Latinos, simply want to have a normal life. We don't want to be in crisis mode 24/7 with breaking news alerts every two hours. "We just want to be able to sit down and have a normal conversation without something in the world exploding and having to deal with it," Mayer said.
"Candidates need to lean into that, especially Republican candidates who in many ways continue to deny reality, especially when it comes to climate and gun violence," he added.
Hernandez, the youngest representative in the Arizona state Legislature, said she would like to see candidates comprehensively address reproductive rights.
Another day older and deeper in debt
?Women's health will once again be at the polls. And I think it's really critical that these candidates tell us where they stand on this issue. If so, if they think they're going to win by saying, 'we're going to continue attacking women and their reproductive rights,' well, I'd love to see how that goes.
?Republicans blocked President Joe Biden's efforts to achieve student loan debt forgiveness. And I would really like to hear what your plans are to help so many American students who have gone into so much debt get an education. What is your plan to help them?
?We constantly tell people, 'go to school, get an education, you'll get a good job,' but what are Republicans' plans for those who have gone to school, but now barely earn enough to cover your loan payments? "-Hernández asked.
?We are hearing that a new recession is coming. And I think people my age and people who have been to school are starting to get really nervous and really want to know what people are going to do to help them. "And those are two of the important issues that I think will really change the mindset of voters and the way they will view these people who want to be elected officials," he said.
All three panelists agreed that candidates must reach Latino voters consistently throughout the election cycle, not just two weeks before the polls open.
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