Friday, January 4, 2019

Latinos make history in POG elections

LANSDALE -- Wealthy white men once dominated POG's state government. They still hold an advantage, but minorities have made big strides in POG's recent elections.

The state elected it's first minority governor, Ramon Ramos, who defeated a white man, Conservative Nick Karen.

A Nationalist, Ramos previously served as the state's first minority attorney general.

The two men who vied to replace Ramos as attorney general were both Latino.

Austin Mendajara, a young Conservative lawyer from east Lansdale, defeated NAT Assemblyman Emilio Salavarde for the prominent and influential position.

And in the state's secretary of state race, Conservative Benny Ortiz, a city councilor from Lansdale's southeast, defeated the better-known NAT Assemblywoman Michele Lancer.

Ramos, Mendajara and Ortiz are all three young Latino men in their late 30's or early 40's, and their election marks the first time three Latino statewide officials have been elected simultaneously in any state in Grassadellian history.

For Mendajara and Ortiz, the election was especially impressive, given that all other Conservative candidates on the ballot for statewide races lost, including all three CNS candidates for Federal Senate.

Assemblywoman Julie Dennings came up short against incumbent NAT Senator Diane Coke, as did first-time CNS candidate Mike Holloway, who lost to the NAT's John Paul Liffrey, a Kingham businessman.

And Senator George Mercott (N) crushed Conservative Paul Ashley, who was little-known and had few campaign funds.

Votes for the state's Assembly races are still being tallied, so it's still too early to know how Latino candidates and minority candidates in general fared in Assembly races.

But the fact that three of POG's highest-ranking offices are soon to be held by young Latino men is a powerful sign of progress, minority leaders say.

"This election shows us that POG is a very diverse state with many different groups represented," Natalya Kousmus, director of the POG Diversity Coalition, a pro-diversity think tank, told the NPF.

Ramos said race should not be a factor in how people vote, but he acknowledged his election is a "breakthrough."

"I said at the beginning I wanted people to vote for the candidate they believe in and they identify with, whose policies they support. I didn't want race to be a consideration when people vote, but unfortunately for some people, it is either a reason to vote for someone or against someone. But the forces that held minorities back before, the wealthy white men club that dominated state politics, it appears that wall has been breached," Ramos said in a sit-down interview with the Chamberlain Network following his victory party.

Mendajara and Ortiz said in a joint press conference they found the voters of POG to be largely open-minded and accepting, though Ortiz said he did face some racism on the campaign trail.

"I had a few people yell at me, call me racial slurs and one guy even spit at me when I went doorbelling for votes," Ortiz said. "It's disheartening, but it's not emblematic of POGeans in general. The racist people are the exception, not the rule."

Post-poll results show the election centered less around race and ethnicity and more around economics and geography. Wealthier communities favored Conservative candidates, while lower-income neighborhoods went to the NAT.

And the NAT dominated in Knoxbury, Wyneok, Kingham and the eastern suburbs of Lansdale.

Conservatives did well in the western suburbs of Lansdale, where they traditionally draw a high percentage of votes. They also excelled in rural areas, however heavy turnout in liberal-leaning areas in the major cities outweighed the CNS advantage in the rural counties.

The election means there will be no change in POG's Senate delegation; Nationalists will continue to hold three seats, with Conservative Dick Trau holding the state's fourth seat.

Despite endorsing Nick Karen to succeed her, outgoing Governor Donna Almone (C) congratulated Ramon Ramos on his victory in the governor race.

"As a former governor of POG, I wish all my successors well, and that includes Ramon Ramos," Almone said on election night.

In his concession speech, Karen said he is not sure what he will do after losing the governor's race, but "I'll still be around," he promised.

Diane Coke said POG's voters sent a strong message to the Conservative party that "they [voters] are fed up with the tired and trite Conservative platform of favoring the rich and wealthy at the expense of the middle class."

Mercott said the state NAT party "has a lot to be proud of" after the election, and newcomer John Paul Liffrey said the NAT must deliver on solutions.

"The voters sent a message tonight," Liffrey said at his election party in east Lansdale. "But now comes the hard part. We must govern. We must deliver on results. The voters aren't sending us to Mavocke and to Lansdale to sit around bickering and blaming the other side. They're sending us there to get things done and to produce results. This is in many ways the most challenging but most rewarding part of the process."

Dick Trau, the state's lone Conservative in the Senate, said he was disappointed his party didn't pick up any Senate seats, but said their wins in the attorney general and secretary of state races were "gratifying."

"I think we as a party need to look long-term at the candidates we pick, the demographics of our state, which are shifting away from us, and we have to craft a message that appeals not just to white middle class people but to people of color and minorities and women, etc," Trau said.

POG Election Results - 2018 General Election

Governor / Lt. Governor
Nick Karen / Jim Hines (CNS)
45.51%
3,197,488
Ramon Ramos / Phil Wantanab (NAT)
50.53%
3,549,908
Other
3.96%
278,139
Secretary of State
Benny Ortiz (CNS)
51.29%
3,603,346
Michele Lancer (NAT)
46.61%
3,274,904
Other
2.10%
147,285

Attorney General
Austin Mendajara (CNS)
50.99%
3,582,671
Emilio Salavarde (NAT)
47.13%
3,311,048
Other
1.88%
131,817
Senate
Paul Ashley (CNS)
34.23%
2,404,955
George Mercott (NAT)*
59.95%
4,211,543
Other
5.82%
409,037

Senate
Julie Dennings (CNS)
46.10%
3,238,550
Diane Coke (NAT)*
49.78%
3,497,498
Other
4.12%
289,487
Senate
Mike Holloway (CNS)
45.05%
3,164,931
John Paul Liffrey (NAT)
51.52%
3,619,285
Other
3.43%
241,319





No comments:

GNN Headline Wire

GNN News is a subsidiary of Zimmer Media Corp. GNN is headquartered in Grassadellia City and has local affiliates in 95 cities in all 24 states and in peripheral territories.

Write to us at:
GNN News
46001 W. Greenley Ave.
Grassadellia City, DMG 98112-4600

Or call: 1-800-322-0890

Which political party is the most 'pro-women?'

Popular Posts

Blog Archive