NewsTaco

By Latinovations

During his confirmation hearing today, Secretary of Labor nominee Thomas E. Perez is expected to face tough questions from Republican critics about his tenure as head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

Perez’s actions are being questioned following what critics saw as a reputation for being an “aggressive regulator,” and for pushing policies that “annoyed” many employers, while many Democratic committee members say that Perez’s actions “weren’t unusual.”

“Some people don’t like Tom Perez precisely because he is passionate about enforcing our civil rights laws and protecting people’s rights,” says Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, the Democratic Committee Chairman. “In my view, that passion makes him more, not less, qualified to be secretary of labor.”

As previously reported on La Plaza, if Perez is confirmed as the next Secretary of Labor, he would be the first and only Latino on President Obama’s second-term Cabinet team.

Jaime Contreras, Vice President of the Service Employees International Union, warned Republican critics that challenging Perez’s nomination would risk having Latino voters favor their way.

“If Republicans come out hard against the nomination of one of the few Latinos in the administration in a very antagonistic way… the consequences are going to be at election time,” says Contreras. “We take pride in Tom because this guy has tried to be fair to all people.”

This article was first published in Latinovations.

[Photo by Center for American Progress]

By Silvia Manzano, Latinovations

The 113th Congress includes a record number of thirty-eight Latinos elected officials. These notable numbers have both policy and political implications for the future of Latino politics in the United States.  First though, some demographic facts about the 113th.

Demographic Profile

The House Representatives includes thirty-five Latino members, another three are members of the United States Senate. All three Latino senators share two traits, they are all Cuban American men: Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas. By contrast, only eight House members are Latinas. Democrats make up the majority of the Latino delegation, with twenty-seven in the House and one in the Senate. Republican Latinos number eight in the House and two in the Senate.

They hail from ten states and two territories, but California and Texas dominate the Latino congressional delegation (with thirteen and seven members from the respective states), which is not a surprise given the proportion of Latinos in those states as well as the large clusters of majority-minority regions with high concentrations of established Latino political talent.

Policy

In terms of policy representation, it is fair for the Latino electorate to expect co-ethnics in office to champion a specific policy agenda.  Most Latino elected officials represent large Latino constituencies; it is their job to support and advance voter preferences after all.

In the 2012 election over 70% of Latino voters supported Democratic House, Senate and Presidential candidates. Results from the impreMedia/Latino Decisions Election Eve Poll –the only study of the 2012 Latino electorate — demonstrate that Latino voters have a clear policy affinity with the Democratic party. The majority of Latinos side with Democrats on core, party-defining issues including: health care, where over 60% prefer to see Obamacare remain intact; deficit policy solutions, where 77% prefer an approach that includes higher taxes on the wealthy, andimmigration, where the President’s deferred action policy was met with strong enthusiasm from the Latino electorate and the Republican candidate’s self-deportation alternative was roundly rejected.

There remains a smaller but steadfast Republican and conservative policy-leaning share of the Latino electorate, just as there is a smaller GOP Latino delegation. Because Latino voter preferences are so clear, Latinos in Congress can confidently coalesce  around these issues to amplify their collective impact on legislation.

Politics

Latino members of Congress occupy an interesting political position in  this era of growing Latino political empowerment. Both parties have publicly articulated a desire and plan to strategically build their Latino share in the electorate as a means to their long-term viability. In this light, Latino members of Congress represent more than their specific districts on floor votes and constituent services. Rather, Latino members provide a bridge to an electorate that both parties are keen to improve.

For example, Senator Ted Cruz has taken on the role of communicating the value of Latino electorate to a clearly non-Latino targeted audience, going to far as to say the GOP’s future is doomed without increased Latino voter support. Most Latinos did not vote for Senator Cruz, but that is beside the point. His ethnicity affords him a certain credibility and standing to speak on outreach issues that is taken seriously in and outside of his party. Latino Democrats in the 113th are in more high-profile partisan roles than prior Congresses, which suggests the party understands the importance of developing Latino political talent within their ranks given the decisive impact Latino voters had in President Obama’s re-election. Both teams learned that taking Latino voters seriously is not just a novelty of the 2012 Obama win, it is the future of winning.

This article was first published in Latinovations.

Sylvia Manzano is a Senior Analyst at Latino Decisions, a research and consulting firm specializing in Latino politics and policy. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Arizona. Her research and analytical expertise focus on political demography, state politics, representation and immigration policy. She was a core designer and analyst on the 2012 impreMedia/Latino Decisions Latino National Election Eve Poll. She has been interviewed by numerous media outlets including NBC Latino, The New York Times, La Opinion, Fox News Latino, The Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio.

[Photo by Francisco Diez]

Sylvia Romo should be preparing for retirement, instead, she’s campaigning as the Democratic candidate for the 35th district of Texas. The long-time tax assessor-collector of Bexar County and former state house rep said that the opportunity to run for Congress in this newly created district came about just as she had decided not to seek re-election to her county post. But, she told us, there was something else that pushed her towards a congressional run.

“Sometimes, people don’t want to talk about the elephant in the room. In Texas, of course that means the population is increasing because of the growth of Latinos. We were supposed to get four new minority opportunity districts, [but] that went down to two. District 35 is one of them, and my opponent [Austin Congressman Lloyd Doggett], the last time I looked, was not a minority,” she told us.

“That gives me ganas to win, because I feel that it is about time. I believe that we should have diversity and everything — whether it is business, or education, and definitely in government,” Romo continued.

Originally from San Antonio, Romo would be the first Latina elected to Congress from Texas. Despite her many years in politics, Romo says she was shocked to find out that she would be the first Latina Congresswoman from Texas.  “I hope to be a will to break that, so more women will come after me,” she said.

Chatting with her, you get the sense that she’s not only very dedicated, but very focused about everything she does. Nonetheless, she says she never intended to be in politics, but was encouraged to run for county Democratic party chair. Then, she was encouraged to run for state rep, and eventually became the first female tax assessor-collector of Bexar County.

Although she told us she was hoping to go back into the private sector after her current term expired, the creation of what should be a minority district in Texas called her to run. The way Romo tells it, she feels the need to provide the representation the state’s growing Latino population needs.

But Romo believes that she is simply the best candidate for the job for the people from Travis to Hays to Bexar counties. As an accountant, she understands the economics of the area, she lived in Austin, she has family in San Marcos, and feels that she is the best person to represent this new district. She also feels the race is “winnable” for her, since the 68% minority district now also includes part of San Antonio’s District 20, or retiring Congressman Charlie Gonzalez’s current district. These, she says, are her “stomping grounds.”

Romo told us that she believes this new district needs a new voice in Congress; she believes she has a new perspective and different skills that would do the district good. Her experience in the Texas house as a negotiator will enable her to get things done in D.C., specifically, economic development, she said. Creating jobs, bringing new technologies to the district, and generally encouraging economic development along the corridor is also part of her plan. Part of this, and Romo’s view, is rapid transit in the form of a train between Austin and San Antonio. Constituent services is also a big part of what Romo says she will do for the district. And because Romo has made her professional life as an accountant, she sees things in very economic terms.

“We have to rebuild the economy. If you have a strong economy, then you have jobs, if you have jobs you are able to circulate money, you are able to buy things, and you help businesses grow, you’re able to have money to send your kid to college,” She explained. “It’s a multiplier. The economy is the basis of everything.”

Romo is very self-assured, she says that if she had a year to prepare, she would have just as much money as longtime Congressman Doggett. What’s more, she says that because she’s a woman, she knows how to budget; and has a hard worker she says she is traveling up and down the I-35 corridor organizing a coalition of people across the district who support her candidacy. “They tell me Doggett is a relentless campaigner — but he’s met his match,” she told us.

Although Romo just filed for the seat in early December, she’s already played musical chairs with several opponents for the Democratic nomination. After Doggett’s district in Austin was spliced beyond recognition by the redistricting process, he set his sights on the 35th, meaning that congressional newcomer Romo will now face veteran Doggett in a district that has never had a congressional representative before. Crucial to Romo’s win will be convincing people from Central Texas that someone from San Antonio has their best interests at heart, but also mobilizing as many of the 1 million-plus Latinos that reside in the area.  The David and Goliath-like nature of this election is not lost on her, but Romo seems anything but phased.

“I’ve always had this passion for helping people and they still do. Yes, it’s difficult, and yes, you have to have a thick skin, and sometimes politics can be nasty. But I just brush myself off and keep going,” she said.

[Courtesy Photo]

San Antonio, Texas — Outgoing Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair and Texas Congressman Charlie Gonzalez is currently working on a graceful exit, given that he has chosen not to seek reelection, but he is still focused on the things that need to be done in his district, and the country. Gonzalez’s exit represents the first time someone from his family will not represent the 20th district of Texas since his father, Henry B. Gonzalez, first took office in 1961.

“Next year there won’t be a Gonzalez in Congress. It will be the first time since the 1950s that there won’t be a Gonzalez on the ballot,” he said. Looking back on his 14 years of service, Gonzalez had a lot to say on a recent Friday morning about his proudest moments, his regrets, and thoughts for the next person to fill his shoes, likely current state representative and Democratic candidate for the seat, Joaquín Castro.

He told us that he had been considering leaving the office for a while, but there were a few key reasons why he finally decided to retire this year. First, he told us that ensuring that the 20th the district remained as unaffected by the redistricting wars in Texas as possible was important to him for personal reasons, but also because it is the only district entirely based in San Antonio. The fact that he had earned seniority in Congress also pushed him to stay on longer, but at 66, he told us he feels he has another career in him, and would like to pursue life in the private sector.

When it comes to his father’s legacy as compared to his own, Gonzalez told us that he has had plenty of time to think about the differences, and ultimately thinks that —  on the big issues — both Congressmen Gonzalezes were very similar. “My father was very effective for San Antonio and, hopefully, people will view my tenure as being productive for the City of San Antonio,” he told us.  The younger Gonzalez called his father and iconoclast, an individual who love to be in individual, who worked closely with the Democratic leadership. For his part, the current Congressman Gonzalez sees himself as somewhat more bipartisan, but feels that he continued his father’s legacy of strong  constituent services.

Congressman Gonzalez is one of the seven Latino co-chairs of President Obama’s re-election campaign, and as one of the first Latino politicians to come out supporting Obama over then–candidate Hillary Clinton, he says Obama needs a second term. He said the president is the type of man who believes that you can win an argument with facts and figures, and that logical people will outlast politics. “I think the American people should reelect him. Then the Republican Party will see that there are diminishing returns at that point, they cannot appear to be as unreasonable as they are right now since they have to prepare to take back the White House,” he said.

“He needs another term because I think that the opposition will finally accept him as President of the United States. What they have done to frustrate him is beyond anything that has ever been done to any other president,” he told us. “Never in the history the United States has the filibuster been employed to the degree that you have it employed today in the Senate.”

Work that stands out most in his mind during his 14-year tenure is varied, and includes everything from voter ID and suppression, to constituent services, to his “no” vote for the Iraq war, as well as health, education and energy. He was very proud of his work with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to make sure more Latinos and minorities were considered for judicial and other appointments during both the Bush and Obama administrations, “It’s so important that all aspects of government look like our country,” he told us. When it came to other specific votes, the aforementioned “no” vote for the Iraq War was powerful, he noted that the problems with Iran are a direct consequence of that war. The Affordable Care Act, work in energy efficiency and  conservation, as well as creating more opportunities for educational student loans were other high points the congressman mentioned.

And when it comes to things that remain to be done, the congressman was especially concerned about education in the Latino community. “We’re just not graduating the young people to the degree that we need to, not preparing them to be relevant in a modern workforce,” he said. “That really does worry me.” Immigration at the national level, in the economic interest of the country, is also something that remains to be done, he said.

For the next congressman of the 20th district, Gonzalez has endorsed Castro, he said it would be important to try to restore the district to its former boundaries. But more importantly, working with local businesses and governments to create a fecund business environment, as well as working towards better education towards the same end, would be of the utmost importance. “On the education front we are truly lagging,” he said. “There is no real future of the 20th congressional district, or the city of San Antonio, if we don’t [address this].”

Next up, Gonzalez said he would like to work either as an attorney, or  dealing with energy, health, or telecommunications issues.

[Photo By Charlie Gonzalez Campaign]

By Paul Adams

Having conquered the agricultural fields of California and the infinite black abyss of space, José Hernández is now taking his talents to the grinding media battlefield of politics. And after announcing his decision to run for congressman of California’s 10th district as a Democrat last October, he’s already found himself in a stand-off. Last Wednesday a law firm based in Sacramento asked the Sacramento County Superior Court that Hernández remove his “astronaut” title from the June primary ballot. The Bell, McAndrews, & Hiltachk firm argues that Hernández is no longer on NASA’s payroll, and he shouldn’t be allowed to use that title for the rest of his life.

Hernández was born from Mexican immigrant parents, working on the fields with them in his hometown of Stockton. He didn’t speak English until the age of 12. But in spite of his humble beginnings, Hernandez earned his Master’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the U.C. Santa Barbara in 1986.

He then spent the next several years of his career as an engineer until 2001, when eventually began his astronaut career in Houston, Texas at the Johnson Space Center. Here he eventually became a crew member on the space shuttle Discovery in 2009 (after launching into space, he became the first bilingual speaker to Tweet outside of Earth’s orbit!).

However, in spite of these extraordinary experiences as an astronaut, Hernández hasn’t received a paycheck from NASA since 2010. And California’s Election Code states candidates can only list their “current principle professions, vocations, or occupations” within at most the previous year. In response to this law suit, Hernández reacted a bit tongue-in-cheek, “I thought the hardest part of being an astronaut was the training, I didn’t realize it was going to be proving it in court.”

The finality of this case will be decided in court by this Thursday, which is the deadline for the California Secretary of State’s office to submit the formal list of candidates. Though the Bell, McAndrews, & Hiltachk firm may be splitting hairs in this circumstance, Hern Hernández andez will have to bank on the final decision being made in the spirit of the law over the letter of the law, as the firm is legally favorable in the context of this law suit.

In the meantime, Hernández is trying to minimize these distractions and continue concentrating on joining the House of Representatives this June. His opponent, Rep. Jeff Denham (R-California), also ascended to Earth’s troposphere as a member of the U.S. Air Force, but is probably crossing his fingers that Hernández’s astronaut title gets stripped from the ballot, as Hernandez did manage to get a little higher than him.

Paul Adams is a writer who lives in Los Angeles, follow him on Twitter @Yustomovic.

[Photo By NASA]

San Antonio, Texas — Ciro Rodriguez spent time during the 1990s and early 2000s serving the people of South Texas in Congress as a Democrat, and most recently lost his seat in 2010 to Republican Francisco “Quico” Canseco (who declined an interview with NewsTaco). Now, Rodriguez is hoping to first beat fellow Democratic candidate for the 23rd district Pete Gallego, and then take on Canseco in November. Although the whispers among the political caste in Texas favor Gallego, Rodriguez is coming at this primary election with everything he’s got.

A recent chat with the seasoned congressional candidate started off with his insistence that the current political districts, including his own, are not beneficial to Latinos in Texas. “We have a very discriminatory map as far as I’m concerned that was done deliberately and maliciously to discriminate and basically cut us out,” he told NewsTaco.  A side effect of the confusion and complicated political districting is that Latino voters may be frustrated when their polling places move, or confused about their district.

Rodriguez says up front that he has already represented 22 of the 29 counties in the district that stretches from far West Texas to South Texas. He told us that, much like his first foray into politics as a school board member, this time around at 65 years old, he is running because he wants to make a difference.

“Now, more than ever, there are two visions for this country. One with access to health care, Medicare, Medicaid, with pensions and Social Security, and one without,” he said at his South San Antonio campaign headquarters.

Rodriguez spoke of his districts with the kind of familiarity and ease that borders on the familial.  when asked what were the most important issues for this district, he had trouble settling on one, but did mention the economy, energy (everything from oil and gas to solar and wind), as well as tourism and trade. He spoke of national parks in the district, the effect of healthcare and prescription costs on  constituents of the district, infrastructure investments, education, and defense and military interests there.

In this case, Rodriguez points to his seniority in Congress as a pivotal reason he should be reelected; that way he can hit the ground running. He wants to characterize himself as a fighter, a someone’s got to stand up against the anti-healthcare, antisocial security crowd, but more importantly, as the only one who can.

“Making changes requires rancorous types of engagement. This is the time to stand up, this is the time for people to come to the plate,” he told NewsTaco. “If you look at the candidates that are out there, I have the best experience.”

[Courtesy Photo]

San Diego, California — Migrant farmworker-turned-astronaut José Hernández is running for Congress as a Democrat in the 10th district of California on a very simple platform: “Jobs, jobs, jobs and education,” he told NewsTaco recently at the California Democratic convention here. The agriculture-fueled district is east of Silicon Valley and Hernández is adamant that he will be able to take his personal and educational experiences combine them with his professional work as an engineer and astronaut to bring development and jobs to this part of California.

Hernández told NewsTaco that, upon leaving NASA, he began visiting to the schools he attended as a child in the district. It was during these visits meeting children and their parents that he says he began to consider congress. “What I saw scared me: I saw that parents were losing faith in the fact that their kids will be able to reach that American Dream,” he told us. “If the parents lose faith, they are not there to motivate their kids, then our community is doomed — and that’s what motivated me.”

As far as running in this particular district, Hernández says “we’ve got our work cut out for us.” The district is slightly more Democratic than Republican, but has a large independent voter base that tends to lean conservative, he said. While 40% of the district is Latino, only 25% of Latinos are of voting age there. Thus, his strategy in the district that includes the city of Modesto and Stanislaus County, is to mobilize voters, work at the grassroots level to register more Democrats and continue to work with the community.

Just last year Hernández left NASA, was working as an executive at an aerospace firm, and admitted to being “comfortable.” So why did he leave his career to pursue politics?

In a sense he told us this congressional bid is the next step in what he feels is his “calling” as someone who was able to work his way from being the child of migrant farmworkers to being selected as a NASA astronaut. It’s feasible to create high tech jobs in the district working with state and local governments, instead of sending them overseas, thus addressing both the jobs and education component, he said.

When it comes to education, Hernández supports the DREAM Act for what he characterizes as very economically sensible reasons. College graduates are likely to earn more than $1 million in salary over their lifetimes; not only does this create an educated workforce, but taxable income that more than compensates for any financial aid students may receive, he said. Plus, helping those who want to help themselves makes sense generally, he added.

But perhaps one of the biggest motivators for Hernández is the fact that he feels Congress should be a place for normal people, that it shouldn’t be a “millionaires’ club.” For example, as a father of five, Hernández can tell you the mental calculus involved in figuring out how to make the co-pay on three sets of braces at $4,000 a pop; he sees himself as someone from this district who made it and wants to work for others like him.

“We need to get citizens out there to go and represent us in Congress — folks that know what the cost of a gallon of milk is,” he told NewsTaco.

We asked Hernández what it felt like to be one of several young Latino candidates with quintessentially American success stories currently running for office (Dr. Raúl Ruiz and Joaquín Castro for example), and he said it was exciting to be on the cusp of change that would make Congress more representative of America.

“It’s the beginning of change and we’re very happy, very blessed to be the catalysts of that change,” he said. “You do a cross-section of Congress and you say, ‘Does that represent America?’ Now, I’d have to argue it’s ‘No.’ If you do that after we start getting into office, then we start getting closer to that goal.”

Check out these videos of Herández talking about his family:

[Video By NewsTaco and NewsTaco; Photo By NASA]

Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona is running as a Democrat for Senate in Arizona because, as he told NewsTaco, he hopes to use his unique set of experiences to bring practical solutions to his state. He told NewsTaco that his personal and professional experiences have positioned him to contribute to creating real solutions to the Senate, and for the people of Arizona.

“Every issue that is germane to Arizona, to the country, I have experience with,” he told us, alluding to his experiences as the homeless child of Puerto Rican émigrés in New York, as a soldier in Vietnam, as a veteran, as a physician and businessman, Surgeon General of the U.S. and in law enforcement. “What I bring to the table is fairly unique, the issues I’ve dealt with include foreign policy, the military, the border and as a doctor.”

Carmona says he’s lived the American Dream, which is why it’s important to him to help others achieve theirs. He told NewsTaco he intends to go about implementing policy by behaving as a statesman — not a politician — and re-establish civil debate and cooperation with his peers. As someone who’s run a health system, Carmona says his work in the Senate would be akin to work he did with a board of directors, “We are not going to be able to address these issues unless we can find a reasonable set of individuals who can sit down at the table an realize that it is our privilege to serve,” he said.

Immigration is an issue particularly salient to Arizona and because of proximity to the border, it’s an economic issue as well. Carmona calls for a solution that deals with immigration in a “rational” manner and includes a path to citizenship — similar to President Ronald Reagan, as well as Arizona Senator John McCain who co-sponsored the original DREAM Act. The DREAM Act is not a “handout,” he said, “It’s about giving people the opportunity to rise to the next level.”

Carmona said the politicized nature of immigration, especially in Arizona, drowns out the reality that good immigration policy could positively impact the economy. Jobs in Arizona are a big issue that collides with foreclosures and Carmona has a few ideas on how to address both. Arizona is rich in natural resources and he proposes that investing in the energy sector, as well as pushing innovation and entrepreneurship, could help his state prosper.

On a personal level, Carmona said that as a Latino, he’s particularly proud to be able to represent his country. “I think it’s long overdue, for one, and of course all the Latino leaders I know recognize we don’t just represent Latinos, we represent all Americans — but we do it in a culturally competent manner,” he said. Serving in the Senate would be a continuation of the service Carmona said he began when he served in the Army during the Vietnam War.

“In a generation, I went from a homeless child of immigrants to Surgeon General of the United States. I got a lot to return,” Carmona told NewsTaco. “My goal is to make my country better for those who come in the pipeline behind me to put in an infrastructure of opportunity — that’s what I intend to do.”

[Courtesy Photo]

Wenona Benally Baldenegro  would be the first Navajo woman to serve in Congress  if elected to congressional district 1,  in 2012. The district encompasses Flagstaff, as well as 11 Indian tribes. We spoke to Benally Baldenegro recently, and she told us there were several factors influencing her to seek this office.

Benally Baldenegro is an attorney who told us she’s been working with non-profit organizations on creating financial education programs for the past few years. This work has helped her to see the needs of this community and also realize the great need for leadership in the area that encompasses the district. She told us that voters in the district, as it’s currently being drawn, are made up of about 21% Native Americans and 18% Latinos, something she says is important because “we’ve never had a voice from Arizona represent our communities.”

But, she said there were two principal reasons she decided to run for Congress. One, the seat is currently held by a Republican, Paul Gosar, who defeated Democratic incumbent Ann Kirkpatrick in 2010 because, as Benally Baldenegro tells it, she tried to move towards the middle, something many Democratic voters did not appreciate, Demonstrating their discontent by not showing up to the polls in 2008. If a Democrat is to win the seat, she told us, they must stick to their “Democratic values,” such as not supporting policies like SB 1070 or the states war against ethnic studies.

Aside from that however, Benally Baldenegro says her decision to run for Congress is much more personal. “This is where I’m from, this is where I was raised my entire life. I’ve always wanted to come back here. I’m Navajo so I grew up on a Navajo reservation, which is in the district,” she said. While some may say that politicians in Arizona need soften positions on immigration or ethnic studies, Benally Baldenegro says the focus should be on jobs and the economy, especially during a time when, “a lot of folks are out of work.” Jobs were definitely a top issue for Benally Baldenegro, which is why she said that having a voice on the federal level would be in port for the people in her district.

When it comes to the Native Americans district, Benally Baldenegro told NewsTaco that this community’s direct relationship with the government is distinct and unlike the type of relationship most people in the U.S. experience. For this reason, she feels that her presence in Congress would allow her to more effectively advocate for this community, especially when it comes to the values she feels are integral to them, such as equal opportunity, and liberty.

Benally Baldenegro is running a self-described “grassroots campaign” in which she’s adopting an Obama type strategy when it comes to fundraising, blockwalking, meeting and greeting, and dedicated to not taking corporate money. She says it’s working, noting that it’s only December and she has about 50 volunteers ready to help her campaign; she also recently received the endorsement of the United Steelworkers, the largest union in the district.

Pete Gallego describes his decision to run for the 23rd Congressional District of Texas as a personal one. “Me decía mi abuela que uno no puede quejar si no quiere participar. Frankly, I got tired of complaining.” He will be challenging Republican incumbent Quico Canseco for the seat.

Gallego, a Democrat, is referring to what he termed “the dysfunction” of Congress where games are being played there is no agreement there is rather extreme disagreements that prevent anyone from reaching a reasonable solution. What’s worse these disagreements ultimately hurt the people of South Texas, he said.

As an elected official since 1990, and most recently the house representative for District 74 in Alpine, Gallego goal characterizes his public service as a way to guard the future. “For me it’s all about making sure our kids have more opportunities than we did. Part of that is to serve as an example with respect to being able to have a civil discourse. Part of my frustration is that extremists are leading the conversation, as a result a lot of people are tuning out.”

The issues Gallego told NewsTaco he would focus on if elected to Congress were: small businesses, military and veterans issues, and his favorite, constituent service. When it comes to issues Gallego says his constituents are concerned about, he told us “the economy is a huge issue, and oil and gas are going strong while other sectors are not.”

Ultimately he said he would be focused on helping job growth and incentivizing small business along the border district. Gallego told us he has spent time in most areas of the district which stretches from west Texas near El Paso to San Antonio and parts of the border.

The fact that the Supreme Court blocked Texas is most recent redistricting maps means that Gallegos’  district, like all the other political districts in Texas, is currently in limbo. Nonetheless, Gallego told us he was enthusiastic.

“I feel like people are personally invested in me, there’s really a lot of enthusiasm. I was very young when I ran the first time,” he told us. “People feel like they watched me grow up and I’m so flattered and so honored I’m going to make sure I don’t disappoint.”

[Screenshots By PeteGallego.com; State of Texas]

By Dustin Mendus

Americans are dreading the 2012 elections. A new Gallup poll proves it, noting that seven out of 10 Americans just want the 2012 Presidential Campaign over already. The feelings are not partisan or gender-biased, either.

It seems everybody wants this thing over before it starts.

About 31% of Republicans look forward to the upcoming campaign, but only 27% of Democrats. Meanwhile, an even smaller margin of difference exists among Republicans and Democrats who just want it over: 66% and 67%, respectfully. Then there’s the 75% of independents can’t wait for it to end.

By gender, there is very little difference, though men are more interested, 31% versus 21% of women.

What little enthusiasm there is for the upcoming campaign is coming from youth (18-29 year olds), at an apathetic 33%. As the groups age, interest tapers off gradually. About 16% of senior citizens (65+ year olds) are looking forward to the upcoming election.

Campaign season officially starts on January 3 with Iowa caucuses, but you really wouldn’t think so watching the news. Whether or not this dread of the campaign itself will reflect voter turnout remains to be seen. It seems people are paying attention to the pre-Iowa debates, though, however the number and the influence of that number remains to be seen.

Dustin Mendus is an undergraduate student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He focuses on cultural geography.

[Photo By daquella manera]

San Antonio, Texas — Congressional Candidate Joaquín Castro has had a busy week. Just a few days ago he was campaigning in the newly created 35th congressional district, hoping a federal court map would settle any potential disputes with ousted Austin Congressman Lloyd Doggett. Then, the maps came out and the district changed slightly, settling the Doggett issue.

But then, only the day after Thanksgiving, everything changed again.

Longtime San Antonio Congressman Charlie Gonzalez called Castro Friday evening and revealed his impending retirement, encouraging Castro to run in his district, the 20th. This is the same district Gonzalez’s father, Henry B. Gonzalez, worked in from 1961 to 1998. It is a heavily Democratic district, and a heavily Latino one, in a city where Castro’s twin brother, Julián, is mayor.

Whether Castro would have run in Central Texas, or gets elected to serve San Antonio, it’s been evident in our conversations with him that his political vision has been sharpened by his experiences as a San Antonio native.

Castro had been running for six months as the candidate of Central Texas, a regional candidate, and in the span of a week he dropped that dream to run in favor of his longtime dream of running in the district where he grew up. Castro told NewsTaco that Gonzalez’s retirement caught him by surprise.

“When my grandmother came to the U.S. 100 years ago, that’s where she settled, the West Side. I always dreamed about serving there, but would never have dreamed about running against Charlie,” he told NewsTaco. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to serve the community where I was born and raised, and to continue the legacy of service that the Gonzalez family has laid for San Antonio.”

But what of Castro’s former dreams of creating regional economic development between the San Antonio-Austin corridor? We spoke to Castro before the lines changed and even then, much of his vision for economic development along the corridor seemed based in his experiences in San Antonio.

“One of my first jobs is making sure we get all of the stakeholders from all of the corridor cities to come together and go through an envisioning process, similar to what you see with SA 2020,” he told NewsTaco, referring to an initiative his brother Julián launched in 2010 to tackle various challenges in San Antonio over the next decade. In that vein, he mentioned bringing together existing industries in the corridor — high tech, cybersecurity, biosciences-medical, manufacturing and transportation — and figuring out how to further spur economic development as a region.

Even the way Castro described the region — by comparing the challenges of East Austin to those of the West Side of San Antonio — smacks of the heavy influence his hometown has had on the way his political mind operates. Castro’s presence in this historic congressional district while his brother presides over the city as mayor may open up huge opportunities for the residents of San Antonio as far as having willing, able and effective advocates goes.

This wouldn’t be the first time a team of family members teamed up to represent the city, though, so the onus of whether the twins are able to enact tangible change for this growing community is truly on them.

To this end, Castro told us that he wanted to be a spokesman for the Central Texas region, to be at the forefront of “choreographing” the inevitable economic development and population growth that is already taking place in the region, to spearhead this effort so that years won’t pass and the region wouldn’t have reached its potential. He also insisted that, despite jumping districts to a place with an uber-local focus, San Antonio is still going to be part and parcel of the Central Texas region that will be one of the largest in the United States in coming years.

“This experience has made sure that my horizon is much broader than the neighborhood where I live, my immediate community,” Castro told NewsTaco a few hours after switching districts. He wants to be a bridge builder, he told us, and along with his brother thinks he can do great things for the region.

“I don’t think I’m the candidate of Washington, D.C.,” he told us at his downtown San Antonio campaign headquarters, in between school visits and block walk events. And for someone who grew up here, and has circled back at every turn, it’s doubtful anyone will be able to argue otherwise.

By Rebecca Soto

El Paso, Texas — Congressman Silvestre Reyes, of the 16th District in Texas, launched his campaign in El Paso over the weekend, on November 11 with a crowd of supporters.

To me, everything about the event was grand. Whether if it was the eye-catching banners that greeted you as you entered the convention center, or by the sea of bleach white t-shirts that advertised “Reyes Works: Re-Elect Congressman Silvestre Reyes,” in bold blue and red lettering. This was the first election campaign I have attended, and as soon as I walked through the doors of the convention center, my attitude changed. I felt a burst of enthusiasm for thinking about the tough questions with regard to the future of our community, and the leadership we as a community choose.

The election event wasn’t so much about the infamous promises that we as citizens tend to hear a lot of, so a political figure can gain our vote, but it was a humbling experience. Congressman Reyes fused the Latino culture very much into the campaign, by having Little Joe y La Familia as the main entertainment, and by having his grandchildren present on the stage with him during his speech. Congressman Reyes has held office for 15 years, meaning that when I was just three years old, he was elected into office. All the growth that El Paso has seen because of Silvestre Reyes, has pretty much been the duration of my life.

I felt a true connection to the campaign when I found out that the parking garage that was built near the University of Texas at El Paso was administered by Congressman Reyes, which just so happens to be the parking garage I park in for school. Silvestre Reyes is the face of El Paso, and because of that, Congressman Silvestre Reyes personally has my vote.

The event started with opening remarks from Jesus Reyes, campaign manager for Congressman Reyes. In his opening statement he made an emphasis on the numerous job opportunities Reyes has created for the City of El Paso, as well as the growth of Ft. Bliss, and the seniority he has obtained throughout the duration of his 15 years in Congress. His speech was soon followed by remarks from President Bill Clinton.

Clinton made it a clear point to describe that Congressman Reyes has continued to work hard to protect our nation and to represent the people of El Paso. Congressman Reyes has been able to represent the people of El Paso through his understanding of border issues that encompass international trade, border security, and immigration, and he is able to represent the people of El Paso better than anyone in the country. President Bill Clinton closed his comments by stating that we, as a nation, and as citizens of El Paso, need Congressman Silvestre Reyes more than ever.

Congressman Reyes is being challenged by former city representative Beto O’Rourke in the Democratic primary. O’Rourke has received the greatest publicity in his career by advocating the legalization of marijuana as a way of hurting the Mexican drug cartels financially. Along with this resolution, O’Rourke has devoted a lot time to advocate policies to revitalize the city’s center and to limit urban sprawl. The fight between O’Rourke and Reyes is sure to be a good one.

 Rebecca Soto is a student and a writer who lives in El Paso, Texas.

[Photo By U.S. House]

 By U.S. Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez

Today, the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Bureau released new statistics on how many people are being deported from the United States, and who they are.

We are virtually at 400,000 (396, 906 to be exact) which is the maximum annual capacity for deportation in our immigration system, according to Administration officials.  The following is a statement by Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), the Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Task Force on Immigration and a leading proponent of immigration reform in the Congress.

Nobody can say with a straight face that President Obama is not enforcing our immigration laws vigorously, but that is still the main talking point of the right wing every day of the week and twice on Sunday’s talk shows. The fact that we are deporting so many people, even when illegal immigration has slowed to a trickle, is a symptom of our decades-long neglect in fixing the immigration system and the chaos that has resulted from this neglect.

The percentage of criminals among the deportees has risen during the Obama Administration but let’s be clear, we are still deporting a large number of parents, workers, and others who pose no threat to this country and who contribute to our economic well-being as a nation. It is also important to remember that the definition of “criminal” in such reports is a very broad one and not really reflective of what most people would think of when they hear the term criminal.

I am still waiting for the announcement of this past August to really take root within the Department of Homeland Security and to see dramatic decreases in the number of people deported who meet the criteria laid out in ICE Director John Morton’s memo. The announcement cannot be merely a pacifier for those of us crying out for justice and compassion. It must actually stop the deportation of those with deep roots in our country like long-term residents, DREAM Act students, military families, and immediate family of U.S. citizens. This is still the goal and the Administration has made a promise and I will continue meeting with immigrant communities and Administration officials to make sure the policy is actually being implemented.

We are deporting hundreds of thousands of people who came to the country to work, raise families, contribute to the economy, and want nothing more than to be allowed to live and work here legally.  Setting a record for deportations and incurring the huge expense of sending so many people away is nothing to be proud of as a country. This puts yet another exclamation point on the need for a lasting solution to eliminate illegal immigration and to strengthen legal immigration.

[Editor's Note: the following is a statement released from U.S. Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez's office.]