Data: Pew Research Center, U.S. Census Bureau; Chart: Michelle McGhee/Axios
Mexican Americans make up the nation's largest Latino group, yet they remain politically outshined by more recently arrived Cuban Americans.
Why it matters: The disparities in political power between Mexican Americans and Cuban Americans reflect the racial, historical, geographical and economic differences within Latino cultures in the U.S.
<ul class="ee-ul"><li>For the first time in U.S. history, the Senate includes three Mexican Americans — Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Alex Padilla, (D-Calif.). — as the Mexican American population overall nears 37 million people. </li><li>Cuban Americans, who number just 2 million, are also represented by three Cuban American senators: Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.).</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines: </strong>Today, the majority of Mexican Americans reside either in deep-blue California or in reliably red Texas. Neither state attracts many presidential candidates campaigning for the general election.</p><p><div style="font-size:13px">
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</div></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>The political core of Cuban Americans live in swing-state Florida, making them more attractive to presidential candidates who often visit and play to the anti-communist passions of Cubans and Venezuelans. </li><li>The two groups helped deliver Florida and its 29 electoral votes for President Trump in the 2020 election.</li></ul><p><strong>How it works: </strong>Mexican Americans' concentration in non-swing states and weak political fundraising put them at a disadvantage to gain the political power that reflects their numbers, said Las Vegas-based Mexican American political consultant Eli Magaña.</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>The Democratic Party also hasn't invested in training Mexican American candidates or developing a pipeline for elected office, New Mexico political consultant Sisto Abeyta said.</li><li>The Koch-funded Libre Initiative trains Latinos to be activists on tax and immigration issues but doesn't train candidates to run for office.</li><li>Once-promising Mexican American political stars, like former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former California lieutenant governor Cruz Bustamante and former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros<strong>,</strong> flamed out amid scandal, clearing the bench of potential national figures, wrote <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-23/arellano-column-alex-padilla-california-senator-first-latino" target="_blank">Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano</a>. </li></ul><p><strong>People of Mexican </strong>ancestry have been here since before the U.S.' founding and today represent 60 percent of the 61 million Latinos. But their political power is limited. </p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Nearly one-third of Mexican Americans are under 18 and can't vote, according to Arturo Vargas, executive director of the <a href="https://naleo.org/" target="_blank">National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials</a>.</li><li>One in four adults of Mexican descent in the U.S. is not a citizen, Vargas said.</li><li>Most Mexican-American elected officials come from poor, majority Mexican-American districts because of racial segregation and gerrymandering.</li></ul><p><strong>Flashback: </strong>President John F. Kennedy galvanized <a href="https://www.startribune.com/jfk-s-last-night-recalled-as-key-event-for-latinos/180747041/" target="_blank">Mexican-American voters </a>during his 1960 presidential run through "Viva Kennedy!" clubs, in the first massive effort by a presidential candidate to reach out to Latino voters.</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>The Congressional Hispanic Caucus credits that 1960 outreach as the impetus that got Mexican Americans involved in politics. Since then, more Hispanics, mostly Mexican-American Democrats, have been elected to Congress than in the previous 140 years, according to the <a href="https://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/congress/introduction.html" target="_blank">Caucus</a>. </li><li>A generation later, Texas Republican Gov. George W. Bush courted Mexican Americans during his gubernatorial and presidential races, and drew record numbers of Republican votes from Latinos. </li></ul><p><strong>By contrast, </strong>large numbers of Cubans, many from elite, mostly white wealthy families, started arriving in the 1960s after Fidel Castro overthrew dictator Fulgencio Batista. </p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Unlike Mexican Americans, Cold War Cuban refugees were given clear and quick paths to U.S. citizenship, including voting privileges, said University of Houston political science professor Jeronimo Cortina. </li><li>Anti-communist Cuban Americans joined the Republican Party following the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, and formed coalitions with some Republicans and conservative Democrats against civil rights and anti-poverty initiatives. </li><li>Some Mexican Americans embraced the struggles of African Americans while some Cuban Americans would later snub South African anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela for his relationship with Castro. </li><li>Those actions of Cuban Americans angered moderate-Democratic-leaning Mexican Americans and led to political tensions between the two groups that linger today. </li></ul></div>
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