Republican strategist says Latinos are the new "Reagan Democrats"
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Photo: Courtesy of Mike Madrid
A growing part of the Latino electorate is relating less to the Democratic Party and more to the GOP because of blue-collar economic issues, an anti-Trump Republican consultant says in an upcoming book.
The big picture: The gradual shift makes Latinos the new "Reagan Democrats" — moderate Democrats in the 1980s who supported President Ronald Reagan — and may change assumptions of race and politics that both parties aren't prepared to face, author Mike Madrid argues.
Zoom in: Madrid's "The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy," is set for release on June 25 by Simon & Schuster.
- The book is based on Madrid's three decades as a GOP political consultant in California and his observations of how Latino voting patterns have shifted — often confusing both parties.
- The former Lincoln Project member decided to write it after seeing Democrats and Republicans repeatedly misreading Latino voters and ignoring their concerns.
What they're saying: "Republicans are winning this (Latino working class) vote despite their best efforts, not because of it," Madrid tells Axios.
- Although Republicans today are seen by Latinos as having better economic policy than Democrats, they do little to engage Latino voters, he says.
- "Republicans are viewed as defenders of the blue-collar workforce in manufacturing, construction, energy, agriculture, mining, and forestry spaces — all the areas where Latinos are not only the dominant share in the workforce but growing."
- Democrats, however, focus on issues that aren't resonating with non-college-educated Latinos, like electric vehicles or student loan debt, he adds.
Zoom out: Polls and recent elections show that once GOP-leaning college-educated voters are shifting strongly to Democrats while once reliable Democratic voters are moving to the GOP.
Madrid, who hosts a podcast with Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha, says working-class voters, including union members, are listening to conservative talk radio.
- In his book, Madrid writes how he used to work to find these Latino swing voters in close California elections and win enough of them to flip a seat.
- Now, "it's getting a lot easier."
Background: Madrid's book joins a small number of works by conservative Latino political experts.
- Former Reagan official Linda Chavez's 1991 "Out Of The Barrio: Toward A New Politics Of Hispanic Assimilation" argued affirmative action and bilingual education were hurting Latinos and their votes were up for grabs if parties turned toward economics.
- George W. Bush advisor Lionel Sosa's 1998 "The Americano Dream" attempted to persuade Latinos to focus on business success to achieve equality.
Yes, but: Madrid's book suggests Latino swing voters could ultimately change both parties, not vice versa.
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