In California, Latinos are poised to play a significant role in deciding who will fill the open senate seat in the 2016 elections following the announcement by Senator Barbara Boxer, a democrat, that she would not seek reelection to the seat she won in 1992’s “Year of the Women.” California boasts the largest Latino population in the nation and with eligible Latino voters estimated to reach approximately 1.35 million voters by 2016, Latino issues will be front and center not only in the general election but in the primary as well.
Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at University of Southern California’s (USC) Dornsife College said “it would be possible for a candidate to win without the Latino support,” he added, “but very unlikely.”
Kamala Harris, the California State Attorney General, has a wide lead in recent polls but some Southern California Latinos are also mulling whether or not to jump into the race on the Democratic side including Rep. Xavier Becerra of Los Angeles and Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange County. Prior to his announcement earlier this year that he would not seek the US Senate seat, polls in February showed 42% of Latinos supported former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in a potential bid. Schnur pointed out that those numbers indicate strong favorability amongst Latino voters to see a Latino candidate in the race.
Speaking in regards to voter participation, Schnur added that “…as the community continues to grow, even without a large turnout it still allows for Latinos to have a significant impact [in the elections].”
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