The midterm elections brought unexpected surprises. A third of the Latino candidates who ran in these elections won office in North Carolina; but at the same time, we lost key representation for this community in the state General Assembly. How will these results affect the state’s future?
50.55% of registered voters exercised their right to vote in North Carolina, the second highest participation figure in midterm elections in the last 28 years, following the 2018 midterm elections (53%).
Election surprises
Most analysts expected a “red tide” (an overwhelming victory by Republican candidates), but this did not happen. Nationwide, Democrats appear to have retained power in the Senate, as they won key, and close, elections in all but three states including North Carolina.
At the local level, Republican lawmakers came close to winning a “supermajority” in the General Assembly, which means controlling more than two thirds of the legislature. This would have allowed them to override the veto power of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. However, the Republicans did not win this supermajority, which means that there will continue to be a balance of power in the state.
The Republicans did have a victory with the state Supreme Court judges, who will serve for six years. The new court is likely to reach vastly different decisions than in the past in cases about education funding, redistricting, voting rights, and abortion.
Latino vote
Although there are no official numbers yet, significant Latino voter participation is expected to have played a key role in these elections.
The Latino community has been the fastest growing voter group in North Carolina over the last four years. However, of the more than 2,000 candidates who ran in these midterm elections in the state, 27 were of Latino descent, and only nine of those 27 individuals were elected to local office.
Latinos lack representation in the General Assembly
Ricky Hurtado (Democrat), the only Latino in the North Carolina House of Representatives, lost his reelection bid to Republican Steve Ross. During his two years in office, Hurtado was the main promoter of two dozen bills that did not pass.
Latinos represent 10.7% of the population and are the fastest growing demographic group. Thanks in part to this community, North Carolina gained a new seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, DC. Nevertheless, our political representation is minimal.
If the 170 legislators in the state General Assembly were to reflect to the state’s population proportionally, there would be between 17 and 18 Latino representatives. However, the reality is that today we have zero representatives.
Currently, only 14 Latinos hold public office in all of North Carolina, none of them at the federal level or in Congress in Washington, DC.
The number of Latino voters continues to grow, while electoral races have become increasingly close. It is a mistake for the political parties to continue ignoring this community. Latinos should become more involved in state politics. The time has come to give new leaders the opportunity to represent our community in public office.