Arizona becomes a swing state because of SB 1070

After decades of being reliably red, Arizona is now a swing state. This remarkable transformation is due, in large part, to the growing Latino electorate that has emerged as a force in state politics, thanks to a unified effort between community leaders and organizations, and most notably a new generation of Latino and Latina elected officials.

Our election research indicates that an estimated 700,000 Latinos voted in Arizona, with 71% turning out in favor of the President-elect Joe Biden. The irony is, this show of strength came out of a low point in the community’s history — SB 1070.

The infamous “papers please” law ca me during the notorious reign of thenMaricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who enforced and encouraged racial profiling to terrorize Hispanics in the state. Senate Bill 1070 was an effort to make those policies the law of the land. Latinos raised an alarm and vociferously stated their concerns but were ignored by the state’s leaders.

This was slap in the face that wouldn’t stand. Arizona’s Latinos had had enough, springing into action with help from organizations like mine.

We called for a tourism and travel boycott of the state, costing Arizona up to $250 million. And the state took a reputation hit, becoming the face of bigotry to the rest of the country. Russell Pearce, who sponsored the bill, was recalled from office, and Joe Arpaio was defeated for reelection in 2016.

But now we’re seeing the long-term result of SB1070. Hundreds of thousands of Latinx Arizonans – many too young to vote at the time – saw the bill as a seminal moment. They were angered by this attack and became determined to act.

In a visit to Phoenix earlier this month, I helped host events with members of this “SB 1070 generation” that UnidosUS has known and worked with over the last decade:

● Tony Navarrete began as an organizer for our affiliate Promise Arizona, which led him to become both a state senator and deputy director of Promise.

● State Rep. Raquel Terán started her activism in recalling Russell Pearce. Luis Avila, a longtime activist and former UnidosUS board member, is a mentor to many young leaders in Arizona.

● The leaders of grassroots organization LUCHA, Alejandra Gomez and Tomas Robles, started as activists in the efforts against SB 1070 and Sheriff Arpaio, and now are co-directors of the Arizona Center for Empowerment, where they fought to pass Proposition 206, which raised the minimum wage and gave many working Arizonans paid sick leave for the first time.

We also helped get out the vote with our affiliates who have been registering and educating voters for the last decade. Many of these organizations like Chicanos Por La Causa and Valle de Sol had historically been service organizations, but as a result of SB 1070, became more engaged in leading and advocating for their community.

SB 1070 reflected a state whose leadership had given in to racism and division, at the political and economic expense of all Arizonans. This post-SB 1070 work has empowered a community critically important to the state’s future. In fact, in 2021 two Latinas were elected to statewide office, and the Arizona state Senate minority leadership will be held by a Latina.

Arizona Latinos have put the entire state on a new trajectory, where instead of demonizing its people, the state is investing in them to ensure Arizona’s future economic strength.

Now, the work of Arizona’s Latinos has become a model for other Latinos across the country seeking to empower themselves. And given the need for our country to turn from a very dark time, this generation of emerging Latinx leaders should serve as a model for the whole nation as well.