Latinos and the GOP

By Arthur D. Soto-Vásquez, NewsTaco

Since the election of 2012, Republican political operatives have devoted significant attention towards increasing their party’s appeal towards Latinos. Journalists and other political analysts noted the Latino vote in states like Nevada and Florida were critical in swinging electoral votes from Governor Romney to President Obama. While most attention has been focused on the harsh rhetoric Republican candidates have used towards Latinos, other operatives argue recruiting Latino candidates will help win future elections.

Indeed, at the 2014 edition of the Texas Tribune Festival, held at the University of Texas at Austin, two Republicans often held up as future prominent state and nationwide candidates gave keynote interviews. These two were Texas Senator Ted Cruz and candidate for Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush.  Sen. Ted Cruz, who is Cuban-American, is best known for his integral role in causing the 2013 shutdown of the Federal Government. George P. Bush on the other hand, is mostly unknown outside of Texas but has quite the pedigree; he is the grandson of President George H. W. Bush and son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. George P. Bush’s mother was born in Mexico.

While these two Latino Republicans are held up as the future of the party, the party still finds itself in a dilemma. How do they appeal to a majority of Latinos while still appeasing their conservative base? This dilemma was apparent in some of the answers Bush and Cruz gave on immigration and rhetoric questions. When interviewer Evan Smith, of the Texas Tribune, asked Bush if he thought anti-Latino rhetoric was an issue, his response was no.

However, when Bush was later asked if he supported instate tuition for undocumented immigrants at Texas public universities, he said he supported instate tuition until there is a more sensible alternative. This is in contrast to Sen. Cruz who said; “I don’t think the tax payers should be subsidizing education for immigrants.”

The festival also held a smaller discussion during the day entitled “Latinos and the GOP,” where they invited some Republicans to discuss some of the party’s efforts in Latino outreach. Their comments recognized the anti-Latino rhetoric has harmed the GOP brand. At the same time, they also believed the traditional GOP message of smaller government would appeal to U.S. Latinos.

Perhaps one of the strangest comments came from former State Representative Aaron Pena, who switched from the Democratic to Republican Party in 2011. He commented that he believes Latino millennials no longer identify as Latino, and instead identify as “just Americans.” His comments were quickly booed and rebuked by the audience, with several young Latinos coming to the microphone and saying they were “proud Latinos.”

These events from the Texas Tribune Festival point to an obvious contradiction, many of the Republican Party’s policy positions negatively affect U.S. Latinos. The answer for the GOP is not a rhetorical strategy; it is a shift in policy.  In addition, GOP leaders need to spend more time with U.S. Latinos from all walks of life, including millennials and undocumented students. Finally, there probably needs to be more Latino GOP leaders like George P. Bush, who hold moderate opinions and refrain from the harsh rhetoric, instead of Sen. Ted Cruz being held up as the future of the party.

Arthur D. Soto-Vásquez is a proud native of El Paso, TX. He is currently a graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin and closely involved with political campaigns and issues relevant to U.S Latino community life.