Latino America

August 11, 2014
Few demographic changes have exercised the American political mind as much as the inexorable rise of Latino America, and Barreto and Segura's masterful work of social science is a clear and sober-minded analyses of this complex subject. As cofounders of the nonpartisan research firm Latino Decisions, they use their expertise to corral mountains of data into a coherent narrative about the Latino influence on U.S. politics. Purely as a statistical resource, the book is invaluable, but it shines brightest when addressingâand refutingâ received wisdom, such as that Latinos are "single issue voters" and a "naturally conservative" constituency ripe for Republican appeals. Bolstered with contributions from other Latino Decisions analysts, Barreto and Segura add nuance and context to an often one-sided discussion. Their topics include the effect of religiosity on voting patterns, and the history of how California became a reliably Democratic bastion. The book is particularly illuminating toward the complex role played by immigration politics. It does occasionally suffer from stale writing, but Barreto and Segura's lucid analysis is worth the price of admission.

August 15, 2014
An examination of how, "in the twenty-first century, American politics will be shaped, in large measure, by how Latinos are incorporated into the political system." A team of pollsters at public opinion research firm Latino Decisions, led by Barreto (Political Science/Univ. of Washington) and Segura (Political Science/Stanford Univ.), breaks down the Latino polity to find out who the Latinos actually are, what is important to them and why they do or do not vote for one party or the other. The most recent presidential election showed decisively how crucial the Latino voting bloc is; 1 in 10 votes cast nationwide were by Latinos, and President Barack Obama won a whopping 75 percent of the Latino vote. However, as the authors show, support for the Democrats is not so straightforward; in fact, George W. Bush won most of the Latino vote, while in some places, such as in Florida, where the Latino population is predominantly Cuban, the trend remains conservative. Latinos tend to be more liberal than whites on certain issues such as the use of "government action to solve problems," reflecting the economic stresses within the Latino community. Moreover, Latinos have a favorable opinion of the military, support environment protection (which impacts their own vulnerable communities), tend to tolerate LBGT rights but not abortion, and have grown more Democratic since the failed immigration reform of 2006 and 2007. Latinos have coalesced as a potent political group since the passage of Arizona's punitive Senate Bill 1070 ("the papers please" law) in April 2010 and the Republican blocking of the DREAM Act. Indeed, failure on immigration reform forced Obama to push through (the now-controversial) DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program in order to secure the disgruntled Latino bloc and win re-election. The authors offer key strategies for bringing more Latinos to the polls. A pertinent, useful study of significant trends in the American political landscape.

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October 1, 2014

Barreto (political science, Univ. of Washington; Ethnic Cues) and Segura (political science, Stanford Univ.) are the founders of Latino Decisions, a Latino public opinion research firm. Most chapters are written with other researchers who help make the argument that we will likely see greater Latino influence in politics in coming years. The authors point first to some compelling factors that do and do not influence Latino participation in politics: they value self-reliance yet welcome government programs where needed, and religion plays less of a role in their views of candidates than may be thought, given their perceived social conservatism. The Iraq War, the economy, and both state and national immigration legislation played significant roles in persuading key segments of the community to vote in 2008, and--for the first time in history--provided a margin of victory in a presidential election in 2012. VERDICT The text is a bit dry, as the data cited often reflects the kind of research one might expect from founders of a public opinion research firm. Readers will nonetheless appreciate the generous number of bar graphs and charts that accompany the narrative where data analysis appears. The book will be of interest to general readers of current ethnic political trends. Recommended.--Jeffrey J. Dickens, Southern Connecticut State Univ. Libs., New Haven

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