CHICAGO.- The state of Texas offers 40 Electoral College votesmaking it important for the presidential election and although the Democrats have made progress in the state, the Republicans have won in every process since 1980 with Ronald Reagan.
This is the first year that the state will award such a large number of votes, since after the 2020 Census, the redistribution of the population forced a reallocation of votes by entities, and Texas went from 38 to 40.
In addition to this, The Latino population is now the majority in the state with 12.1 million inhabitants against 12 million non-Latino whites.
Vicente González, the representative for District 34 in the state, highlighted the population recomposition and the progress of the Democrats, which could lead them to victory this year.
“We are becoming more and more democratic”he said in an interview in Chicago, Illinois, during the Democratic National Convention (DNC). “Now Latinos are the majority in the state of Texas, we continue to grow, we continue to have greater political power and I think it will turn Texas around, we will have more seats in Congress and the movement will continue to grow.”
The nomination of the vice president Kamala Harris has given a boost to the Latino vote in several statesincluding Texas, according to a recent Equis poll, which reveals that among voters in this population the Democrat leads over former President Donald Trump by 13 percentage points.
“It is an injection of positive emotion that I believe our party and our entire country needed,” said González about what the state is experiencing with Vice President Harris. “It is a very positive feeling, you see people in southern states of the country who are very excited to return and continue the campaign until the end, we have about two more months.”
The economy is a key issue
Gonzalez is running for re-election and faces Republican Mayra Flores, who lost to the Democrat in 2022 by obtaining 44.2% of the votes against 52.7%.
The Democrat acknowledged that Economic issues are capturing the attention of the electorate and that is where the campaign is focused.
“For us, the economic issue is to lower inflation and lower the price of medicines,” he said. “Older people are at great risk with the Republican Party, which wants to damage the social security system and Medicare that we have right now. They are looking to raise the ages, lower the coverage, something that worries us a lot in the Latino community, because many older people depend on that check, sometimes it is the only check or the only money they receive monthly.”
He also highlighted programs to help with student debt. “For young people [queremos] “We need to find a way for them to study and get better jobs without having to pay off debt for the rest of their lives,” he said.
For a safe migration
Gonzalez defended immigration, but acknowledged that it must be done safely, in addition to seeking reform that, from his perspective, only Democrats can achieve.
“I think that the Democrats have proposals that can bring the two parties together to make an important decision to help people. There are some Republicans who want to work with us to pass proposals, but when their party is in the majority they can’t do it, so with us in the majority and a few Republicans who support our proposals, I think they are very valuable for the Latino community,” he said.
At the DNC it was highlighted that Former President Trump blocked bipartisan border and immigration legislation in Congresswhich is why González highlights the position of some moderate Republicans.
He added that it is necessary to promote a plan that allows asylum applications from other countries.
“While we are at the border, we continue to support proposals to try to help people who are asking for asylum, who have to come to the border, so that they can do so from Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, without having to take the risk of crossing all of Mexico, to be extorted,” he said.
He pointed out that 75% of people who arrive in the US do not actually qualify for asylum protection, which is why a program like the one he proposes is necessary.
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