FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
November 5, 2014 Joseph Rendeiro
(202) 776-1566
jrendeiro@nclr.org
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Latinos turned out to vote, driven by concerns about jobs, education, health care and, in particular, immigration. Throughout the past year, NCLR (National Council of La Raza) and many partners worked diligently to mobilize the Hispanic electorate, registering approximately 120,000 new voters and contacting more than 300,000 eligible Hispanic voters in California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Iowa, Georgia and Colorado.
Despite the continued growth of the Hispanic electorate, overall neither party is doing an effective job at engaging Latino voters. In the Latino election eve poll conducted by Latino Decisions, less than half of Latino voters thought that the Democratic Party truly cares about the Hispanic community, and only 22 percent thought that the Republican Party truly cares. A plurality of Latino voters said they were voting to support the Hispanic community rather than the Republican or Democratic candidate.
Earlier today, NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía joined Latino Decisions and partner organizations for a press briefing to discuss the Latino vote.
“There are three clear lessons from this election,” said Murguía. “Number one, to the Republicans: There will never again be an electoral map and, more importantly, an electorate as favorable to the Republican Party as in 2014. In 2016 the demographics of the Electoral College will come home to roost for Republicans. If they continue on this trajectory, Republicans will have elected their last president for the foreseeable future. Latino voter priorities must be reflected in Republican policy priorities.
“Number two, to the Democrats: They must lean in. They should not take our community for granted. The visible failure of some Democrats to stand with the Latino community proved costly with our electorate. Democrats need to embrace, not avoid, Latinos’ policy priorities.
“Number three, to the president: He needs to act boldly to bring relief to the millions facing deportation and family separation. Every modern president has used this authority. The Hispanic community has waited far too long and expects him to fulfill his promise.”
In 2016, many states with the largest numbers of electoral votes will also have the largest Latino populations. There will also be six Senate races in the next election in states where Latinos constitute at least 15 percent of the electorate, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois and Nevada.
“In 2016, the road to the White House will once again run through Latino neighborhoods,” added Murguía. “We are heading into an election cycle where our community will have the power to decide who will be the next president of the United States. We take that responsibility seriously, and we are confident that our community will act in the best interest of our country.”
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.
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