Latino activists hit Dems for lack of representation
WASHINGTON – Top Latino activists and politicians are criticizing the lack of representation during this week’s Democratic National Convention.
Only three Latino speakers have their own speaking slot in the Democratic National Convention’s primetime lineup: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada.
The four-night convention began Monday with a 2-hour prime time program.
Julián Castro, the only Latino to run for president in 2020 and a former Housing and Urban Development Secretary, was a keynote speaker at the 2012 DNC and this year will be speaking on a panel with other 2020 presidential candidates. However, other presidential contenders also will be speaking during the primetime event, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Mike Bloomberg and Sen. Cory Booker.
“I’d be lying to you if I said that I’m not disappointed that there aren’t more Latinos and Latinas generally speaking on that program,” Castro told MSNBC Saturday, adding that he’s also disappointed that there isn’t someone who is Muslim or Native American speaking during this primetime hour.
“You think about the beautiful coalition that has become the Democratic Party over the last few years, I’m not sure right now that it’s fully represented on that stage,” he added.
Several progressive echoed Castro’s disappointment.
“How much does the Democratic Party care about Latinos? So much they will rather include Republicans & Bloomberg in the #DNC speaker lineup & not Julian Castro & other Latino leaders,” Cristina Jiménez, co-founder of United We Dream, wrote in a tweet.
Cristóbal Alex, a senior Biden adviser, addressed some of these concerns Friday in a Twitter thread. He noted that several local Latino politicians will also be among 17 “rising stars” that are slated to give a keynote address.
“There has been a lot of excitement & questions about the upcoming convention. I’m here to share that Latinos will represent, with important voices from around the nation that showcase our community’s strength & resilience. But, this isn’t like a typical convention,” he wrote. “For starters, we aren’t going to have 10 hours of speeches per day. This is 2 hours per night with a goal of reaching voters across the nation, including Latino voters. Thats why @JulianCastro has a role.”
A new survey, which comes on the heels of the criticism, also shows that two-thirds of Latinos say they haven’t seen any outreach from political campaigns or groups for the 2020 election.
According to a Somos/UnidosUS national survey of Latinos, 64% of registered Latino voters they had not received any contact from either party or non-partisan civic group for the 2020 election.
The survey also shows that 66% of Latino voters back Democrat Joe Biden, while President Donald Trump gets 24% support with Latino voters. Latinos will make up the largest minority group of the electorate for the first time this year.
Janet Murguia, president of UnidosUS, said Monday that while she understand that there is a lot of competition for time, there was “some disappointment to be honest about not seeing more Latinos or Latinos in primetime at the convention.”
“You’ve got to really make sure that representation is not just seen, but is felt. And for us, we need to be seeing that representation,” Murguia said.