Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Tables
- List of Figures
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 Latinos in Legislatures
- 2 The Effects of Population, Turnover, and Term Limits on Latino Representation
- 3 District Composition and the Election of Latino Candidates
- 4 Electing Latinos in Non-Latino Majority Districts
- 5 Voices from Within
- 6 Roll Call Voting Behavior of Latino Legislators
- 7 Conclusion
- Appendix A
- Appendix B
- Appendix C
- Appendix D
- Appendix E
- References
- Index
Introduction
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 January 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Tables
- List of Figures
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 Latinos in Legislatures
- 2 The Effects of Population, Turnover, and Term Limits on Latino Representation
- 3 District Composition and the Election of Latino Candidates
- 4 Electing Latinos in Non-Latino Majority Districts
- 5 Voices from Within
- 6 Roll Call Voting Behavior of Latino Legislators
- 7 Conclusion
- Appendix A
- Appendix B
- Appendix C
- Appendix D
- Appendix E
- References
- Index
Summary
In recent political campaigns, candidates have adopted Spanish-language appeals in their efforts to woo the growing Latino vote. The reasons for such appeals are obvious: Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States, and the Pew Hispanic Center estimates that the Latino population will increase from 14 percent of the population in 2007 to nearly 30 percent of the population in 2050. However, although the growth of Latinos in American legislative institutions has slowly increased in the past decade, Latinos remain underrepresented in Congress and state legislatures. Even though Congress has long been the focal point for studies of representation, a comparative analysis of Congress and state legislatures has yet to be done. This book is the first systematic examination of the election of Latinos to U.S. state legislatures and Congress.
This book argues that Latino representation is dependent on subethnic diversity, distinct political backgrounds even among Mexican Americans, and nascent political experience. The central argument is that Latino representation in U.S. legislative institutions is shaped not only by demographics, but also by legislative institutional design, as well as elite-driven methods, features of the electoral system, and the increasing mainstreaming of Latinos in American society. The election of Latino legislators in the United States is thus complex and varied.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Latino Representation in State Houses and Congress , pp. 1 - 18Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010