For many Latinos, 2016 was supposed to be the year they'd see one of their own on the presidential ballot. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio took their shot on the Republican side and for a while, it kept their hopes up. But that was until Hilary Clinton picked Tim Kaine as her running mate.
According to Arturo Vargas, executive director of the non-partisan National Association of Elected and Appointed Latino Officials (NALEO), which represents more than 6,200 members, they are disappointed with her decision -- that she didn't pick a Latino.
Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, is also disappointed that Hillary Clinton didn't choose a Latino as her running mate but understands that Tim Kaine could be more helpful to win in November.
According to Richardson, Tim Kain is the second best choice for Latinos because he lived in Honduras and speaks Spanish.
But Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat Texas State Legislator who represents parts of Houston, warns Kaine to be careful about where and when he uses his bilingual skills.
According to Arturo Vargas, the challenge for the Clinton and Trump campaign is that they will truly engage with Latinos between now and November. "I don't want to see Hillary Clinton or Trump go to West Los Angeles for a fundraiser and ignore East LA and the Latinos who live there."
Gov. Richardson also agrees with this. He also suggested that the candidates need to talk to Latinos directly on issues beyond immigration.
Even though there is no Latino candidate on the top spot, 2016 will be historic year for Latinos in politics. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz became the first Latino to win a primary and was the chief rival of Donald Trump for the Republican nominations. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio won the Minnesota and Puerto Rico primaries.
Vargas points out the success of Rubio and Cruz as this year's good sign to come from Latinos but warns that both parties need to do more to reach out to the community and support more Latino candidates.
Source: CNN The Trendler
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