Latino Vet, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, Mulls Texas Senate Run

Retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez is looking at running for the soon-to-be-vacant U.S. Senate seat in Texas, according to New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, D-NJ. Yesterday during a conversation held at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas Senator Menendez was asked whether he had spoken to Sanchez about a possible run, to which the senator responded coyly, saying he didn’t discuss private conversations in public.

For his part, Sanchez has said he would make his decision in the next few weeks.

The Associated Press reports that Democratic officials also hinted that Sanchez might be the man to run to replace retiring Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Republican, who announced her retirement earlier this year. The AP reports:

Sanchez is a retired Army lieutenant general and was commander of coalition forces in Iraq when revelations about prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib became public. He gave up his command in June 2004 and has since maintained that he never authorized torture at the prison. He retired from the military in 2006, blaming the Abu Ghraib scandal for his retirement.

Despite having to take the blame for the Abu Ghraib scandal, Sanchez would be probably one of the strongest Democratic senatorial candidates to come from Texas in a long time. As we’ve written previously on News Taco, there are but two Latino senators currently serving in the Senate. What’s more, both are Cuban, the aforementioned Menendez and the recently elected Republican Marco Rubio of Florida.

Because Latinos are such a diverse group of people, albeit Mexican-Americans make up the majority, having another Latino serve a heavily Latino state like Texas in the Senate is sure to be a boon to Latino issues. Sanchez, having been party to national and international issues for many years, would be a good candidate to work on the national level.

Pair Sanchez’s professional experience with his personal experience growing up  in the border town of Rio Grande City dependent on social programs, one would hope Sanchez would bring diverse experience to the Senate during a critical time. Not only do Latinos need a senator like Sanchez who can work for their benefit, but the country as a whole needs someone who is familiar with and on the side of Latinos if we are to be a competitive global player, given that Latinos represent 1 in 6 Americans.

We’ll keep you updated on the developments in Sanchez’s plans.

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD