Hispanic Leaders want Texas Voters to Pick their Democratic Presidential Nominee in a January Caucus
The Rio Grande Guardian
by Steve Taylor
AUSTIN - On the day Texas officially became the nation's fourth majority-minority state, Hispanic Democratic leaders announced plans to get presidential candidates to pay more attention to their state.
State Rep. Roberto Alonzo, D-Dallas, national spokesman for the Mexican American Democrats, and state Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, a former chair of the Tejano Democrats, say they are considering moves to have a presidential election caucus in January 2008.
The caucus, run and paid for by the Texas Democratic Party, would be sandwiched between the Iowa presidential caucus and the New Hampshire presidential primary.
"I think this is an opportunity that we need to seize," Alonzo said. "It is true that we in Texas are not talked about or dealt with by the presidential candidates or the national media. Having a presidential election caucus in January would put us on the front burner."
Following complaints from U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, and others that Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary voters were not representative of Democratic voters generally, and minority voters in particular, the Democratic National Committee set up the 40-member Commission on Presidential Timing and Scheduling.
The commission is due to give recommendations to Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean in December.
Peña met with two members of the commission - U.S. Rep. Hilda Solis, D-Ca., and Cuauhtemoc "Temo" Figueroa, assistant political director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees - at a DNC-sponsored Hispanic Leadership Summit in San Antonio over the weekend.
"My interests are to advance the interests of Texas, it's not so much a Democratic or Republican issue," Peña said. "I want more attention coming to Texas in the presidential process. As it now stands, by the time of the Texas primary, things have already been decided. We want our presidential and vice-presidential candidates to show more interest in Texas and where it is going."
Under the caucus plan, the Texas Democratic Party would conduct a presidential election caucus in each county of the state in January. No taxpayer dollars would be used. The Texas primary election would continue to be run by the Secretary of State's office in March. While the cost to the Democratic Party would rise appreciably, so would national attention.
Solis said that if the Texas Democratic Party and its affiliated organizations like Tejano Democrats and Mexican American Democrats got behind the caucus plan, she would support it. Solis said she was encouraged by the enthusiasm of Hispanic Democrats she met at the San Antonio summit. She said the DNC should do all it could to help bring Texas into play for the Democrats nationally.
"It does sound rather enticing to have Texas involved," Solis said. "We clearly do not have enough diversity, whether it be the African American, Hispanic or Asian American populations, in New Hampshire or Iowa."
Solis said holding a caucus in January in Texas would force presidential candidates to "start talking about issues that resonate with minorities."
Solis said that too often presidential candidates treat Texas and California like ATM machines. "They don't go out into the barrios or the community and rally the troops," Solis said. "We need a visibility and investment in minority communities that is ongoing all the way through to the November election."
Figueroa pointed to the extra excitement and voter turnout shown when the New Mexico Democratic Party held its presidential election caucus in February 2004. In previous presidential years, the state held its primary in June. All the presidential candidates visited New Mexico before the caucus election, and the University of New Mexico held the only Latino presidential debate of the election.
"The idea of having a Texas Democratic Party presidential caucus in January is not as crazy as it seems," Figueroa said. "All the tides are moving in that direction. This is a golden opportunity to get Texas on the radar map of presidential politics."
Figueroa said he could not see the commission recommending a lessening of the impact of the Iowa caucus or the New Hampshire primary because both states are in play in a presidential general election. Figueroa said there was a lot to be said for the retail-style politics that the two states generate. However, he said there appeared to be consensus among commission members for one other state to have its election moved up to January.
Figueroa said it was easy to see why Republicans were making inroads into the traditionally Democratic Hispanic vote. Figueroa said a large percentage of the Hispanic vote is in the big five states - California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois. Of these, only Florida gets any attention in the primary or general election.
"It's pretty obvious to me what is going on. We're not talking to the Hispanic community," Figueroa said. He said another advantage of having an early caucus in Texas was that the state comprised rural and urban communities. "Our candidates would be battle-tested," he said.
Figueroa said that for a Texas January caucus to be considered by the commission, a proposal by the State Democratic Party would have to be submitted in time for the commission's next meeting in October.
by Steve Taylor
AUSTIN - On the day Texas officially became the nation's fourth majority-minority state, Hispanic Democratic leaders announced plans to get presidential candidates to pay more attention to their state.
State Rep. Roberto Alonzo, D-Dallas, national spokesman for the Mexican American Democrats, and state Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, a former chair of the Tejano Democrats, say they are considering moves to have a presidential election caucus in January 2008.
The caucus, run and paid for by the Texas Democratic Party, would be sandwiched between the Iowa presidential caucus and the New Hampshire presidential primary.
"I think this is an opportunity that we need to seize," Alonzo said. "It is true that we in Texas are not talked about or dealt with by the presidential candidates or the national media. Having a presidential election caucus in January would put us on the front burner."
Following complaints from U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, and others that Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary voters were not representative of Democratic voters generally, and minority voters in particular, the Democratic National Committee set up the 40-member Commission on Presidential Timing and Scheduling.
The commission is due to give recommendations to Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean in December.
Peña met with two members of the commission - U.S. Rep. Hilda Solis, D-Ca., and Cuauhtemoc "Temo" Figueroa, assistant political director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees - at a DNC-sponsored Hispanic Leadership Summit in San Antonio over the weekend.
"My interests are to advance the interests of Texas, it's not so much a Democratic or Republican issue," Peña said. "I want more attention coming to Texas in the presidential process. As it now stands, by the time of the Texas primary, things have already been decided. We want our presidential and vice-presidential candidates to show more interest in Texas and where it is going."
Under the caucus plan, the Texas Democratic Party would conduct a presidential election caucus in each county of the state in January. No taxpayer dollars would be used. The Texas primary election would continue to be run by the Secretary of State's office in March. While the cost to the Democratic Party would rise appreciably, so would national attention.
Solis said that if the Texas Democratic Party and its affiliated organizations like Tejano Democrats and Mexican American Democrats got behind the caucus plan, she would support it. Solis said she was encouraged by the enthusiasm of Hispanic Democrats she met at the San Antonio summit. She said the DNC should do all it could to help bring Texas into play for the Democrats nationally.
"It does sound rather enticing to have Texas involved," Solis said. "We clearly do not have enough diversity, whether it be the African American, Hispanic or Asian American populations, in New Hampshire or Iowa."
Solis said holding a caucus in January in Texas would force presidential candidates to "start talking about issues that resonate with minorities."
Solis said that too often presidential candidates treat Texas and California like ATM machines. "They don't go out into the barrios or the community and rally the troops," Solis said. "We need a visibility and investment in minority communities that is ongoing all the way through to the November election."
Figueroa pointed to the extra excitement and voter turnout shown when the New Mexico Democratic Party held its presidential election caucus in February 2004. In previous presidential years, the state held its primary in June. All the presidential candidates visited New Mexico before the caucus election, and the University of New Mexico held the only Latino presidential debate of the election.
"The idea of having a Texas Democratic Party presidential caucus in January is not as crazy as it seems," Figueroa said. "All the tides are moving in that direction. This is a golden opportunity to get Texas on the radar map of presidential politics."
Figueroa said he could not see the commission recommending a lessening of the impact of the Iowa caucus or the New Hampshire primary because both states are in play in a presidential general election. Figueroa said there was a lot to be said for the retail-style politics that the two states generate. However, he said there appeared to be consensus among commission members for one other state to have its election moved up to January.
Figueroa said it was easy to see why Republicans were making inroads into the traditionally Democratic Hispanic vote. Figueroa said a large percentage of the Hispanic vote is in the big five states - California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois. Of these, only Florida gets any attention in the primary or general election.
"It's pretty obvious to me what is going on. We're not talking to the Hispanic community," Figueroa said. He said another advantage of having an early caucus in Texas was that the state comprised rural and urban communities. "Our candidates would be battle-tested," he said.
Figueroa said that for a Texas January caucus to be considered by the commission, a proposal by the State Democratic Party would have to be submitted in time for the commission's next meeting in October.
posted by Tejano Insider at 3:12 PM
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