Surge in Hispanic population in Texas yet to translate into mayoral power
*The headline from The Houston Chronicle that says all you need to know about Tuesday’s mayoral election in that city and the defeat of Latino candidate Adrian Garcia. Garcia came in third behind Sylvester Turner and Bill King, who will now face each other in a December runoff. Patrick Svitek, of the The Texas Tribune, wrote this about election night: “Turner took an early lead in unofficial returns Tuesday night and never lost his advantage. With fewer than one-third of precincts reporting, a confident Turner was already joking with reporters about winning over Garcia’s supporters, saying, ‘I may not be Latino, but my DNA is good.’” Yeah, ouch. VL
By Mike Tolson, The Houston Chronicle
When Adrian Garcia announced his intention to run for mayor of Houston, the timing seemed reasonable. Although Garcia was forced to leave a good job – sheriff of Harris County – he had to trust that his name recognition would add to the growing Hispanic voting strength that pundits, politicos, and public officials have talked about for more than a generation.
Now, after finishing a distant third in Tuesday’s election, Garcia faces the realization that Hispanic electoral power in no way matches its strength as a market force. No matter how many Spanish-language media outlets flourish, and regardless of the ever-growing purchasing power of Hispanic consumers, the truth is that only San Antonio of Texas’ three great cities has produced a Hispanic mayor.
Even in the second-tier cities, including Austin and Fort Worth, the list of mayors includes only one Hispanic name outside of El Paso: the largely forgotten reign of Gus Garcia, who held the job for two years in the state capital. Scouring the city government rolls in Amarillo, Beaumont, Lubbock, Tyler, and Waco yields an impressive zero to have reached the top spot.
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Photo by Ed Uthman/Flickr]
