California’s gubernatorial primary election is days away, and Latino voters could play a decisive role in determining which two candidates advance to the November ballot.
According to Victoria González-Rivera, professor and chair of the Chicana and Chicano Studies Department at San Diego State University, Latino voters represent a significant portion of California’s electorate. “Forty percent of Californians are of Latino ancestry and identify as Latino, and 25 percent of all voters are Latino or Latina. So, we are going to play a huge role on Tuesday,” González-Rivera said.
Political analyst Wendy Patrick noted that gubernatorial candidates are actively courting Latino voters ahead of Tuesday’s primary. “California is unique, in that we have a significant Latino population, and particularly the gubernatorial candidates are out courting them in full force trying to outdo each other in fact, making sure they get out to vote in the primary instead of waiting for the general,” Patrick said.
González-Rivera identified three key issues driving Latino voter preferences: the economy including cost of living concerns, immigration and she specifically mentioned concerns about “the war in Iran” causing “a great deal of consternation among Latino voters.”
The Latino community doesn’t vote as a unified block, according to González-Rivera, which helps explain why support is divided among leading candidates Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton, and Tom Steyer. She also mentioned that about 30 percent of Latino voters remain undecided.
“Oftentimes, people think it’s easy to generalize about our population, and then they are surprised by some of the results. But learning more about our communities and our histories can help explain many of the decisions Latino voters make, as well as the issues that matter to us,” González-Rivera said.
A recent Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll of over 5,000 likely voters shows Xavier Becerra leading at 25%, Steve Hilton at 21%, and Tom Steyer at 19%.