The Congressional midterm elections are just a few weeks away. Much has been much bandied about a “blue” or “red” wave set to determine control of Congress and by extension the direction of the country. Yet another phenomenon is gripping these elections which merits a closer look. It doesn’t follow traditional political affiliations and can serve as a precursor as to what will really shape the political landscape for future generations.
This year a record number of persons of color are running for congressional office. Should this trend continue, the country should prepare for a brown wave that defies party affiliation. Here’s a look at some of the Latino’s vying to be a part of the next congressional class and making waves in doing so.
1. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, New York
No other candidate is more symbolic of this new generation of politicos. Ocasio-Cortez stunned the country when she challenged and defeated longtime incumbent Joe Crowley in the democratic primary in New York’s 14th District. Running a campaign with no donations from PACs or big corporate interests, the 28-year-old Boricua advocates for frontline community topics like abolishing ICE, tuition-free public college, universal Medicare and prison reform. Going unopposed in the general election, a victory would make her the youngest members to hold the position.
2. Anmar Campa-Najjar, California
A Democratic candidate for California’s 50th Congressional District in the U.S. House. He may just be 29-years old, but the candidate has an extensive political resume. He worked for Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign before joining the Obama administration as a White House official. He also worked for the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as a communications and marketing director and for the U.S. Department of Labor as a public affairs officer. Of Palestinian and Mexican ancestry Campa-Najjar is viewed as a rising star in the Democratic Party. He has promised voters to work on rebuilding jobs for the middle class instead of the wall, if elected he’d be the first Latino-Arab member of Congress.
3. Gil Cisneros, California
A Navy veteran who had a lottery winning life changing event change his fortune. Cisneros is running on the Democratic ticket for the 39th District in California in the U.S. House. The son of a public-school cafeteria worker and a Vietnam veteran, Gil attended college on a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (R.O.T.C.) scholarship George Washington University. Cisneros platform according to his website its “fighting Republican attempts to cut education funding and Pell Grants, tools that empower not just students, but entire communities.” Yet, Cisneros campaign has not been without its share of controversy. A woman initially accused the candidate of sexual harassment, only to recant the allegations. However, is the damage already done? Only election day results will tell.
4. Antonio Delgado, New York
A Democratic candidate for New York’s 19th Congressional District in the U.S. House. Delgado is challenging Republican incumbent John Faso. Born and raised in Schenectady, Delgado is a native of Upstate New York. He attended Colgate University where he graduated with high honors and earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. From there, he went to law school at Harvard. His platform – preservation of healthcare, specifically pre-existing conditions, as well as returning jobs to his Upstate New York district, which have since departed with closures from anchor businesses such as General Electric.
However, Delgado’s campaign is not without its own drama. Recently his opponent unearthed Delgado’s prior career as a rap artist, attempting to leverage it as a basis to question his values. Thus far, the mudslinging seems to have had little effect. As of October 3rd, Delgado is leading Faso in the polls. Per the New York Times, more than one dozen area clergy who recently signed a letter asking Mr. Faso to leave the rap album out of the political debate. The letter, which began with the words “shame on you!” said bringing up the rap album was a “thinly-veiled, racist attack for the purpose of insinuating fear in the voters in our district.”
5. Xochitl Torres Small, New Mexico
Xochitl Torres Small is the Democratic candidate for New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House. After advancing in the June primary she be competing for the seat in November. She grew up Las Cruces New Mexico, graduating Cum Laude from Georgetown University in just 3 years. She would return home, complete law school and before her current run served as a water rights attorney.
Yet, if you think Torres-Small is another Democrat straight out of central casting, think again. While her platform addresses issues such as immigration, healthcare and water rights, her most recent advertisement entitled “Hunt” shows she’s cut from a different cloth as she demonstrates she’s 2nd Amendment friendly, by displaying her gun shooting skills. She told CBS News “that hunting is personal to her, helping to forge a stronger connection with her husband. Hunting is a family tradition, too — both her grandfather and father were hunters.”
6. Jose Chuy Garcia, Illinois
Jesús G. “Chuy” García currently serves on the Cook County Board of Commissioners. A lifelong politician if there was one. He was previously a candidate for Mayor of Chicago and made it a close race. Forcing a run-off vote with incumbent Rahm Emanuel. Although defeated, he was elected to the Chicago City Council and in 1992 became the first Mexican-American member of the Illinois State Senate. A progressive and a reformer he endorsed U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential election. He’s currently looking to fill the seat in the U.S. House that will be vacated by a retiring Luis Gutiérrez.
7. Veronica Escobar, Texas
The big blue state of Texas is nearly 40% Latino but has never sent a Latina to Congress. Veronica Escobar is about to change that in November. A former Judge from El Paso County, Escobar was victorious in her Democratic primary and is expected to easily win in November. A victory will make her the first Latina to represent Texas. On running for office Escobar told NBC News “I feel very excited. I have never seen so many great people mobilized, volunteering for candidates and serving in campaigns. This is our moment. It’s our turn at the leadership table. And we need to keep pulling up the generations after us. It’s an absolutely pivotal time.”
8. Kevin de León, California
Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate from California Kevin de León is no stranger to politics. Having served in California State Senate.
The son of a single immigrant mother who supported her family in the San Diego barrio of Logan Heights working as a housekeeper and other pick-up jobs. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school and college. He attended U.C. Santa Barbara and graduated from Pitzer College at the Claremont Colleges with honors. Senator de León was elected by his colleagues to lead the Senate in 2014, making him the first Latino to hold that position in over a century. He now seeks to do in Washington D.C. what he did in California, which includes setting the state on the path to 50% renewable energy by 2030, immigration reform and healthcare for all.
