Sure, all politics are local, and we have several municipal races in the 305 Tuesday that we could regret for four years. Yes, I’m talking to you, Miami.
But there are elections all over the country and among the high-profile races there are several Hispanic candidates who stand out because they could break the political glass ceilings in their lanes, either by becoming the first Latino or Latina in a particular elected office or transforming, finally, the face of the New York City Council.
In Miami-Dade, where Hispanics are a majority, we are pretty used to Latino candidates having an advantage. It’s why former county Commissioner Katy Sorenson never ran for mayor. Only recently, with wins by Commissioner Eileen Higgins and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava has it seemed possible for a non-Hispanic to win a seat in a predominantly Hispanic area — which is almost everywhere.
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But there are places north of the Broward line that still need to catch up with us.
Hala Ayala would be the first Latina and woman lieutenant governor in Virginia if voters choose her Tuesday. Across the country in Washington state, Lorena González, a two-time city council member, could become the first Latina mayor of Seattle.
Dale, chicas.
Most exciting is what’s possibly happening in New York City, where 10 Latino candidates running for city council could basically Hispanicize City Hall and bring historic representation to the 2 million Hispanics who call the Big Apple their home who, by the way, could be 20% of NYC voters.
More español in chambers is always a good thing.
Latino voters also stand to play a crucial role in Virginia and Seattle, where the Hispanic population has grown enough to make an electoral difference, according to the Latino Victory Fund. In Virginia, Hispanics make up 11% of the population and 60% of the Latino vote went to Joe Biden in 2020.
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Latino Victory Fund, a progressive organization that aims to increase Hispanic political power by getting more Latinos elected, has endorsed a bunch of Hispanic candidates and have invested in voter mobilization efforts to ensure the Latino vote turns out to vote for the Democrats up and down the ballot win. They include Ayala, González, and 10 candidates on the ballot in the New York City council race:
- Shaun Abreu, District 7
- Diana Ayala, District 8
- Tiffany Cabán, District 22
- Carmen De La Rosa, District 10
- Amanda Farías, District 18
- Jennifer Gutierrez, District 34
- Francisco Moya, District 21
- Carlina Rivera, District 2
- Pierina Sanchez, District 14
- Marjorie Velazquez, District 13.
And yes, eight of the 10 are women and some of those could become first Latinas elected to represent their district.
Don’t stop. Sigue, sigue.
Latino candidates could claim victories across the U.S. Tuesday in several races added by Ladra on
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