The Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda are among the many Latino leaders urging President Obama to nominate Labor Secretary Tom Perez as the next U.S. attorney general. Leaders and activists cite Perez’s proven record of leadership and commitment to serving diverse communities as signs that he would be an ideal candidate to tackle complicated and contested issues such as race and immigration.
Texas rep. Joaquin Castro said that Perez has, “a strong core of supporters among members of Congress.” Castro continued, “He is knowledgeable, he is fair and he has had experience on the pressing issues of the Justice Department.”
President Obama has already signaled that he will not make an announcement regarding the nomination until after Election Day; Perez supporters are therefore capitalizing on this time to garner further support for the secretary’s nomination. Beyond the symbolism that his nomination would carry as a Latino, Perez has had a trailblazing legal career that has been at the forefront of advancing civil rights, fighting restrictive immigration laws and tackling wage theft.
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley is among the many vocal supporters that firmly believe Perez can effect positive change as attorney general. O’Malley stressed that Perez’s nomination would be vital to, “make greater progress as a nation on equal rights, on immigration, on voting reform, on marriage equality.”
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