Book Review: Pollster who wrote ‘The Latino Century’ says both political parties get Hispanics wrong

Mike Madrid, author of the new book “The Latino Century,” is better situated than most political consultants to comment on the U.S. Latino electorate because of his job experience and upbringing.

Growing up in a Mexican American family in Southern California, Madrid says he became a Republican in his heart at age 9 when Ronald Reagan was first elected president in 1980. A longtime GOP member, he has advised high profile candidates at the state and national level..

A critic of former president Donald Trump since he launched his 2016 campaign with an attack on Mexicans, Madrid is also co-founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project.

Madrid says both Republicans and Democratic operatives are getting the Latino electorate all wrong in the lead up to the 2024 presidential cycle, when Hispanics could play a crucial role.

He says jobs and the economy are consistently the top issues for Latinos, and it’s a mistake to assume they are simply an aggrieved minority focused on immigration, farmworkers and the border. He also notes that many U.S. Latinos are not immigrants, and plenty don’t speak Spanish at all.

But Madrid says Latinos should play a larger role in U.S. democracy as a fast-growing, optimistic group that now represents about 19% of the country’s population. That’s larger than any other racial or ethnic minority.

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