Latino America: How America's Most Dynamic Population is Poised to Transform the Politics of the Nation

by Matt Barreto, Gary M Segura

Overview

Sometime in April 2014, somewhere in a hospital in California, a Latino child tipped the demographic scales as Latinos displaced non-Hispanic whites as the largest racial/ethnic group in the state. So, one-hundred-sixty-six years after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo brought the Mexican province of Alta California into the United States, Latinos once again became the largest population in the state. Surprised? Texas will make the same transition sometime before 2020.

When that happens, America's two most populous states, carrying the largest number of Electoral College votes, will be Latino. New Mexico is already there. New York, Florida, Arizona, and Nevada are shifting rapidly. Latino populations since 2000 have doubled in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and South Dakota. The US is undergoing a substantial and irreversible shift in its identity.

So, too, are the Latinos who make up these populations. Matt Barreto and Gary M. Segura are the country's preeminent experts in the shape, disposition, and mood of Latino America. They show the extent to which Latinos have already transformed the US politically and socially, and how Latino Americans are the most buoyant and dynamic ethnic and racial group, often in quite counterintuitive ways. Latinos' optimism, strength of family, belief in the constructive role of government, and resilience have the imminent potential to reshape the political and partisan landscape for a generation and drive the outcome of elections as soon as 2016.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610395014
Publisher:	PublicAffairs
Publication date:	09/30/2014
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Dr. Matt Barreto and Dr. Gary M. Segura are widely published scholars, researchers, and professors at the University of Washington and Stanford University, respectively. They are the founders of Latino Decisions, a leading public opinion and research firm that specializes in issues pertinent to the Latino electorate. Their work is regularly cited by Univision, the New York Times, ABC News, National Public Radio, impreMedia, NBC News, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and many others.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Latino America: An Introduction 1

Part I Understanding Latinos and Their Place in the Polity 11

Chapter 2 Unity and Diversity 13

Chapter 3 Ronald Reagan Was Wrong 33

Chapter 4 Now You See Us, Now You Don't 53

Part II Latinos at the Polls, 2008-2012 77

Chapter 5 The 2008 Democratic Primary 79

Chapter 6 November 2008 93

Chapter 7 What the GOP Victory in 2010 has to Say about Latino Political Power 127

Chapter 8 A "Decisive Voting Bloc" in 2012 145

Part III The Latino Agenda 171

Chapter 9 The Prop 187 Effect 173

Chapter 10 Immigration Politics and the 2014 Election 189

Chapter 11 Obamacare from the Latino Perspective 205

Chapter 12 Latino Environmental Attitudes 217

Chapter 13 Some Final Thoughts 231

Acknowledgments 235

Appendix 239

Notes 247

Bibliography 259

Index 277

Editorial Reviews

08/11/2014
Few demographic changes have exercised the American political mind as much as the inexorable rise of Latino America, and Barreto and Segura's masterful work of social science is a clear and sober-minded analyses of this complex subject. As cofounders of the nonpartisan research firm Latino Decisions, they use their expertise to corral mountains of data into a coherent narrative about the Latino influence on U.S. politics. Purely as a statistical resource, the book is invaluable, but it shines brightest when addressing–and refuting– received wisdom, such as that Latinos are "single issue voters" and a "naturally conservative" constituency ripe for Republican appeals. Bolstered with contributions from other Latino Decisions analysts, Barreto and Segura add nuance and context to an often one-sided discussion. Their topics include the effect of religiosity on voting patterns, and the history of how California became a reliably Democratic bastion. The book is particularly illuminating toward the complex role played by immigration politics. It does occasionally suffer from stale writing, but Barreto and Segura's lucid analysis is worth the price of admission. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Those seeking a smart, data-driven analysis of the politics of Latino America will want to grab a copy of Barreto and Segura's contribution.”—Washington Post

"Pulling together demographic data, survey data, and in-depth interviews, Barreto (Univ. of Washington) and Segura (Stanford Univ.) weave a complex, detailed picture of the multifaceted nature of Latino public opinion and political behavior."—CHOICE

"Few demographic changes have exercised the American political mind as much as the inexorable rise of Latino America, and Barreto and Segura's masterful work of social science is a clear and sober-minded analyses of this complex subject."—Publishers Weekly

“A pertinent, useful study of significant trends in the American political landscape.”—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2014-07-31
An examination of how, "in the twenty-first century, American politics will be shaped, in large measure, by how Latinos are incorporated into the political system." A team of pollsters at public opinion research firm Latino Decisions, led by Barreto (Political Science/Univ. of Washington) and Segura (Political Science/Stanford Univ.), breaks down the Latino polity to find out who the Latinos actually are, what is important to them and why they do or do not vote for one party or the other. The most recent presidential election showed decisively how crucial the Latino voting bloc is; 1 in 10 votes cast nationwide were by Latinos, and President Barack Obama won a whopping 75 percent of the Latino vote. However, as the authors show, support for the Democrats is not so straightforward; in fact, George W. Bush won most of the Latino vote, while in some places, such as in Florida, where the Latino population is predominantly Cuban, the trend remains conservative. Latinos tend to be more liberal than whites on certain issues such as the use of "government action to solve problems," reflecting the economic stresses within the Latino community. Moreover, Latinos have a favorable opinion of the military, support environment protection (which impacts their own vulnerable communities), tend to tolerate LBGT rights but not abortion, and have grown more Democratic since the failed immigration reform of 2006 and 2007. Latinos have coalesced as a potent political group since the passage of Arizona's punitive Senate Bill 1070 ("the papers please" law) in April 2010 and the Republican blocking of the DREAM Act. Indeed, failure on immigration reform forced Obama to push through (the now-controversial) DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program in order to secure the disgruntled Latino bloc and win re-election. The authors offer key strategies for bringing more Latinos to the polls. A pertinent, useful study of significant trends in the American political landscape.

Kirkus Reviews