Future National Latino Politics Could be Texas Showdown

Victor Landa, NewsTaco

There really isn’t a reason for anyone living outside of Texas to have noticed, but a seed of future Latino politics was quietly planted the day after the election last week.

A familiar name dropped into the political pool and caused a ripple. George P. Bush, son of former Florida Governor and possible GOP 2016 presidential candidate Jeb Bush; nephew and grandson of two former American presidents; and son of Mexican born Columba Bush; formed an exploratory committee and appointed a treasurer with his sights on a possible run for Texas Land Commissioner.

This is important in Texas. But it was noted on CNN and the Associated Press, then made its way to a headline in the Seattle Times. That’s when you know people are watching.

George P. Bush is a 36 year old lawyer living in Fort Worth;  he speaks Spanish well and came to national attention when he was 12 years old. That was back in 1988 when his grandfather, George H.W. Bush, was Vice President and referred to his  Mexican American grandchildren, in a quip, as “the little brown ones.” 

So what does all this mean? This is how the Seattle Times explains the ripple in the political pool:

 …word of yet another Bush coming to Texas ballots was cheered by Republicans across the state, where party leaders are well aware that they will need Hispanic voters if they want to continue dominating politics here over the next two decades the way they did during the last two.

But there’s more. Even though it’s unclear which state wide office Bush is aiming toward, the fact remains that he has his sights set on a state wide seat. In Texas politics there’s a short hop from any state wide office to the governor’s mansion, and we’ve seen how Texas Governor’s can use the office as a step to national prominence.

Then there’s the inevitable comparison: the Castro twins, Julian and Joaquin, the Texas  Latino darlings of the Democratic Party, may now have a foil. Speculation around the state is that Julian will shoot for the Governor’s mansion after a few more terms as Mayor of San Antonio.  And this isn’t an overall bad thing for Latinos in general – competition is always good.  So picture this, as two young Latinos set their sights on the highest office in Texas; as the demography of the state shifts decidedly towards a Latino majority; the future of national politics has been planted.