Patti Solis Doyle: A Latino Political Perspective

This interview was conducted on March 2, 2016.

What would you say are the top issues for Hispanic voters in the US?

Well, I think that Hispanics are not a monolithic community. First and foremost, we come from different cultures: We are Mexican, we are Spanish, we are Colombian, we are Cuban, we are Puerto Rican. Having said that, immigration reform hits home for many of us. For me personally, my parents immigrated to this country in the early 1950s. My father immigrated twice illegally, and twice was deported, so this rhetoric of mass deportation and building a wall, and banning Muslims, and calling Mexicans rapists and criminals, that speaks very personally to me, as I’m sure it does to all immigrants to this country. All that rhetoric and bombast is clearly motivating Hispanic voters. But we also care about healthcare, we care about education, we care about women’s right to choose.

According to NALEO [National Association of Latin Elected Officials], in 2016, approximately 13.1 million Hispanics will vote in the 2016 race for President; in 2012, it was 11 million. Nearly half of that 13 million, 46 percent, are millennials. They don’t feel as passionate about some issues as older Hispanics feel. For younger Hispanics, it’s about a woman’s right to choose, it’s about gay marriage. We are a diverse community—we have different areas of interest, strengths, and passions, and politicians should take that into consideration when they’re trying to appeal to us.

From your perspective, is the Latino community in Chicago politically strong?

They are strong, but they’re not strong enough. I don’t think it is a good representation in terms of the number of Hispanics that are actually living in the city. The community is growing by leaps and bounds, not only in Chicago but also throughout the country. We are the fastest-growing minority, [but] unfortunately our political leaders and our elected officials don’t mirror our growth.

Becoming involved in politics and actually running for office has become a very difficult proposition. It’s tailored for people of means. Oftentimes, in order to get your foot in the door of a political campaign or in public policy, you have to do it as an intern or as a volunteer, and those positions aren’t paid. And the reality of the situation is that many Hispanics can’t afford to work for free, so they shy away from those opportunities. That’s why what the IOP [Institute of Politics] is doing is so important—it is actually getting paid internships for students so they can really participate fully as students of need.

What are the factors that you believe will be decisive for the 2016 electoral process?

What I found completely fascinating about this race is the mood of the electorate, and how not just frustrated but really angry the American people are towards politics, and the gridlock in Washington, and institutions of all kinds, whether it be the banks or the media. And to me that anger, that mood of the electorate, is going to be the most powerful force in this election cycle. It is why we have Donald Trump, who in any other election cycle would have been laughed out of the race, and it’s why, on the flip side of that coin, we have Bernie Sanders, who is a 74-year-old socialist but has managed to really resonate with young people in this country because of that level of anger and frustration. So, for me, that’s the most important metric that will decide this and each party nominee—whether it’s Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders on the Democratic side, or Donald Trump or Marco Rubio on the Republican side—and how they’re going to deal with that anger, how they’re going to answer for the gridlock in Washington, for the brokenness.

Given your political experience and your personal knowledge of Hillary Clinton, what do you think are the main challenges for her campaign for the presidency?

I’m going to assume that Donald Trump is the nominee just because that’s what the metrics are showing, that’s what the polling is showing, that’s what the delegate math is showing, because it’s always easier to answer that question when you know what the choices are.

If Hillary Clinton is running against Donald Trump, this is an electorate that is fed up with the establishment and, despite Hillary potentially being the first woman President ever of the United States, she is an establishment candidate. She has been involved in politics, and in government, and in public service in this country for the last 40 years. She is a known commodity. There is not a person in this country who does not know her or know of her, and that is a huge obstacle given this electorate.

The other—and this goes along with her being in the public eye for the last 30 years—people already feel that they know her, good and bad. She’s got some trust issues, and some trustworthiness issues, honesty issues, and those are going to be very hard to break out of because she’s been around for such a long time.

Having said that though, I think that her breadth of competency, of being able to do the job, qualifications, her résumé, her commitment to public service for the last 40 years, is going to override that. Particularly when you contrast that with Donald Trump, who has never served in government a day in his life, and doesn’t know how it works. I think that contrast of experience versus inexperience is going to override the antiestablishment mood of the country.

Featured Photo: cc/(danielfela, photo ID: 65899907, from iStock by Getty Images)