Georgia’s surprising dearth of Latinos in elected office has sparked a concerted effort by state and national groups to elect more Latinos
“There’s no doubt our presence has grown, but I don’t think that it’s grown at the speed the population has grown,” said Republican state Sen. Jason Anavitarte. | Jeff Amy/AP PhotoNot so long ago, Jerry Gonzalez remembers, it was hard to find even one Latino running for office in Georgia. Today, the longtime head of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials can list eight just off the top of his head.
“I think we are going to come out with more Latinos on the November ballot than we’ve ever had before, and that’s for certain, given that we have folks both on the Republican and Democratic side running,” said Gonzalez, the founding and current CEO of GALEO. “That in and of itself is going to be historic … Now, we still have quite a ways to go.”
This year, Georgia could elect the first Afro-Latino to the state Senate and state House of Representatives. The two candidates, both Democrats,Latino leaders in the state are quick To that end, the groups help candidates with fundraising, hosting events and voter outreach. GALEO, specifically, for almost two decades has led summits and programs aimed at getting Latinos more involved in their communities.The most recent round of redistricting in the state “sliced and diced our communities to make it more difficult for folks to run for those offices,” Gonzalez said.
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