Latino Representation in State Houses and Congress

by Jason P. Casellas

• ISBN13: 9780521198974
• ISBN10: 0521198976
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-12-20
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This book argues that Latino representation in U.S. legislative institutions is shaped not only by demographics but by legislative institutional design, as well as elite-driven methods, features of the electoral system, and the increasing mainstreaming of Latinos in American society. The election of Latino legislators in the United States is thus complex and varied. This book provides evidence on how successful Latinos have been in winning state legislative and congressional districts in which they have no natural advantage. In particular, this book demonstrates that Latino candidates benefit from higher percentages of Latino citizens in the state, more liberal citizenries, and citizen legislatures. Jason Casellas argues that the legislatures most conducive to the election of Latino candidates are Florida, New Mexico, and California, whereas the least conducive are the U.S. House and New York.

Table of Contents

List of Tables	p. x
List of Figures	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
Latinos in American Society	p. 4
Latino Political Incorporation	p. 9
The Concept of Representation	p. 10
Brief Discussion of Subsequent Chapters	p. 15
Latinos in Legislatures: Historical and Theoretical Setting	p. 19
Literature on Latinos in Legislatures	p. 22
Other Minorities in Legislatures and Redisricting	p. 25
Research Questions	p. 28
Types of Data	p. 30
Choice of Legislatures	p. 32
The Effects of Population, Turnover, and Term Limits on Latino Representation	p. 33
Turnover, Professionalization, and Term Limits	p. 34
Methods	p. 41
Institutional and Demographic Determinants of Latino Representation	p. 43
Conclusion	p. 46
District Composition and the Election of Latino Candidates	p. 51
Redisricting after the Voting Rights Act of 1965	p. 52
Methods	p. 56
United States House	p. 57
Overall Findings	p. 59
New Mexico	p. 63
California	p. 64
Texas	p. 65
Arizona	p. 67
Florida	p. 68
New York	p. 70
New Jersey	p. 72
Conclusion	p. 73
Electing Latinos in Non-Latino Majority Districts	p. 76
Methodology	p. 78
The Elite-Driven Process	p. 82
Features of the Electoral System	p. 91
Latino Republicans	p. 101
Conclusion	p. 103
Voices from Within: How Latino Legislators See Themselves	p. 106
Methodology	p. 108
Background, Political Past, and Election to Current Position	p. 110
Legislators' Perceptions of Competitiveness	p. 112
How They View Their Districts	p. 113
Issue Priorities of Latino Legislators	p. 115
Perceptions of Representation	p. 118
Does Partisanship Trump Ethnicity?	p. 120
Conclusion	p. 122
Roll Call Voting Behavior of Latino Legislators	p. 125
Background of Latinos in Colorado, New Jersey, and Texas	p. 126
What We Know About Latino Roll Call Voting Behavior	p. 128
Data and Methods	p. 130
Findings	p. 131
Conclusion	p. 136
Conclusion	p. 138
Legislatures and Legislators Matter	p. 139
Not All States Are Equal: Institutions and Demographics Matter	p. 140
The Mainstreaming of Latinos in U.S. Legislatures	p. 142
African Americans and Latinos	p. 143
Party Outreach Extends Beyond Presidential Races	p. 143
Latino Pan-Ethnic Identity Despite District Differences	p. 145
Variations in Latino Legislators' Voting Records	p. 145
	p. 147
	p. 149
	p. 157
	p. 159
	p. 161
References	p. 163
Index	p. 175
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