The Hispanic Republican: The Shaping of an American Political Identity, from Nixon to Trump

by Geraldo Cadava

An illuminating and thought-provoking history of the growth of Hispanic American Republican voters in the past half century and their surprising impact on US politics, updated with new material reflecting on the 2020 election

In the lead-up to every election cycle, pundits predict that Latino Americans will overwhelmingly vote in favor of the Democratic candidate. And it’s true—Latino voters do tilt Democratic. Hillary Clinton won the Latino vote in a “landslide,” Barack Obama “crushed” Mitt Romney among Latino voters in his reelection, and, four years earlier, the Democratic ticket beat the McCain-Palin ticket by a margin of more than two to one. But those numbers belie a more complicated picture. Because of decades of investment and political courtship, as well as a nuanced and varied cultural identity, the Republican party has had a much longer and stronger bond with Hispanics. How is this possible for a party so associated with draconian immigration and racial policies?

In The Hispanic Republican, historian and political commentator Geraldo Cadava illuminates the history of the millions of Hispanic Republicans who, since the 1960s, have had a significant impact on national politics. Intertwining the little understood history of Hispanic Americans with a cultural study of how post–World War II Republican politicians actively courted the Hispanic vote during the Cold War (especially Cuban émigrés) and during periods of major strife in Central America (especially during Iran-Contra), Cadava offers insight into the complicated dynamic between Latino liberalism and conservatism, which, when studied together, shine a crucial light on a rapidly changing demographic that will impact American elections for years to come.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Race, American History, Grad School, The United States Of America

448 pages, Hardcover

First published May 26, 2020

Reviews

[Julio Cedillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geraldo Cadava delves into the past, looking at Hispanic participation in the Republican Party since the 1960s. His take on the Cold War as the reason Hispanics gravitated towards the GOP was interesting, as Hispanics sought to prove their loyalty to the U.S. during McCarthyism. Overall, the Republican Party seemed to be accommodating Hispanic voter needs until the 1990s, when nativism and populism arose within the party and ultimately pushed Hispanics out of the party based on anti-immigrant behaviors. Despite Democratic and Republican Hispanics having differing views, immigration was the one thing that united them in public policy. Overall, a very good read, and I enjoyed the timeline Cadava takes us through.

[Jenna Spinelle]

This book is a comprehensive history of Republican appeals to Latino voters, told in a compelling, character-driven way. I love the fact that the book starts with Desi Arnaz, and other characters emerge throughout. I had the opportunity to speak with Geraldo Cadava for a podcast I host and produce if you're looking to learn more about the book before you pick it up: https://democracyworks.simplecast.com...

[Zachary Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

From a two-book review of "The Hispanic Republican" and "From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime"

Like "From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime," Gerry Cadava’s "The Hispanic Republican" sheds light on the bipartisan valence of a phenomenon—in his case, anti-immigrant sentiment—that we tend to associate only with the Republican Party. Although the New Right of the 1970s and 1980s was restrictionist, Ronald Reagan campaigned in 1980 on a message of “open[ing] our arms and hearts to strangers from abroad,” and in 1986 he signed a comprehensive immigration reform bill that allowed 3 million undocumented immigrants to regularize their status. It wasn’t until the 1990s that Pat Buchanan succeeded in centering nativism in GOP politics, and the legislative manifestation of that nativism, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA), was signed by Democratic president Bill Clinton. Thus, Cadava convincingly demonstrates, there was nothing intrinsically Republican or conservative about advocating for closed borders or mass deportations; prominent Republicans (Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush) thought that immigrants should be welcomed and put to work, but insurgents pushed the party in a different direction, and the whole country veered rightward with them. This turn made it “increasingly difficult—but not impossible—for Hispanic Republicans to justify their continued support.”

Another achievement of The Hispanic Republican is that it centers debates over Puerto Rican statehood to an uncommon degree. Cadava follows the battle for statehood across four decades, passing through the Republican presidencies of Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and H.W. Bush, and he chronicles with some detail the near triumph and subsequent tragedy of the Bush years. Bush explicitly endorsed Puerto Rican statehood in his first State of the Union Address, and Nixon, Ford, and Reagan all signed on. But support for the initiative was ultimately killed by concerns over how accession would affect the federal deficit and whether it would damage the Puerto Rican economy. Also influential were the words of the xenophobe and future presidential candidate Pat Buchanan, who wrote that Puerto Rican statehood would cause a “fundamental change in the character of our union.”13 Some of the same forces that sought to close the border also foreclosed the possibility of Puerto Rican statehood.

Together, The Hispanic Republican and From the War on Crime to the War on Poverty raise important questions about the direction that the Democratic Party should move post-Trump. Should it drift towards the center, like it did under Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, so that the Republican Party doesn’t get easy wins on matters of immigration and law-and-order? Or should it ignore the finicky suburban voter and commit to a program of reform that exchanges caution for moral vision? By problematizing both centrist liberalism and the notion that the Republican Party will cease to exist in a majority minority country, Hinton and Cadava help us to answer those questions, or at least push us to ask them more perceptively.

[Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

As 2045 approaches (which is the reported year that the US will become minority white), and it is an election year, one of the many questions that appear are how will the Latinx/Hispanic voters go? They are, of course, not a monolith, with different groups having different histories, relationships with different administrations and with the US itself. Author Cadava looks at these voters and why they have voted they way they did.

This isn't necessarily an explanation of the "why," but rather a historical retelling from Eisenhower to roughly the modern day (Trump) and how historical events, individual administrations, etc. have shaped this part of the US electorate. Overall while it was informative, it was dry. I thought this book would have a little more analysis but I'd say it's probably one of those books that likely gets assigned in a college course about US elections, history of Latinx/Hispanic political involvement, etc.

(As a side note, Cadava talks about why he uses "Hispanic" in the introduction of his text).

Personally I think this wasn't the book for me or I needed more of a "primer" to better understand this. But as mentioned, it'd probably be a good book that's assigned for reading and would probably be of interest to lots of people who care about politics, Latinx people in the US, general political involvement, etc.

Borrowed from the library and that was best for me.

[Zack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads Giveaway - In the Hispanic Republican Gerlado Cadava (Northwestern University) traces the highs and lows of Hispanic Republicans starting with the Nixon administration. The Majority of the book focuses on the late 1960's through the 1990s (the Bush 43, Obama, and early Trump administrations are largely glossed over). What becomes clear is that Hispanic and Latino voters have largely been treated as a unified voting block (by both parties), have been a political football, and primarily been catered to during campaign cycles when their votes are needed. The sub-title of the book is slightly inaccurate as there is no defined "shape" of the Hispanic Republican - it is more of a shifting evolution, constantly morphing with the times, and as such, there is no definition of what a Hispanic Republican is - but, I think that is largely the point of the book, to break down the perception or definition of the Hispanic Republican (or the Hispanic voter in general) as an easily defined template. If politics is your bag, this book is definitely worth your time.

[Omar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A detailed account of how elite Hispanics built organizations to support the Republican Party in exchange for increased access and visibility in government via political appointments while the GOP simultaneously grows more hostile towards them as a community.

This is a decent book overall, but the analysis was lacking a bit for me. I found myself wanting to hear the perspectives of Hispanic Republican voters and grassroots organizers/activists instead of how well-credentialed Hispanics fought for inclusion and representation in Republican administrations for the past 60 years. There was no class. racial, and/or gender analysis at all. Somewhat of a missed opportunity, especially in the era of Trump.

[Harry Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent book--presents an interesting history of Hispanics involved in the Republican Party from the 1950s onward. The interesting takeaways from the book are that:
--the Republican Party has had a complicated stance on Puerto Rican statehood (Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and H.W. Bush all supported it but were unwilling to put political capital on the line to get it done)
--Integration of Hispanics into the modern Republican Party began with the RNHA in '67, but has been mired by false starts (see transition from Nixon presidency to Ford presidency)
--'Demographic Destiny' as a concept for predicting the demise of the Republican Party is incredibly stupid.

[W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this on audiobook. It provides an excellent history of about Latinos and conservatism, from the postwar period to the present. Cadava does an excellent job of showing the heterogeneity of Latino Republicans, drawing attention to different concerns that motivate Cuban American, Mexican American, and Puerto Rican politicians while also showing the lines of intersection. The book is a must read for those who are confounded by Hispanic Trump voters because it shows that ties to the Republican party run deep and intersect with many issues. The book is also clearly written and richly researched, a great read for anyone interested in the topic.

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main strength of this book is chronicling the history of Hispanic involvement in the Republican Party in the second half of the 20th century. Cadava frames the story in the context of the Cold War and the Republican Party as the main opponent of communism. He follows every presidential election since 1952 and shows the role Hispanics played in the Republican candidate’s campaign. For Republican victories, he then follows the attitude of the administration towards Hispanic priorities. In this way, Cadava seeks to explain the fairly consistent portion of the Hispanic electorate (~30%) with loyalty to the Republican party despite its increasing nativist turn.

[Juan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. It always fascinates me to learn how things have been building up over the past few years. Despite what my political leanings may be, it is a good read and aims to explain something many political scientists often forget. Latinos or Hispanics or Latinx are not all just "natural born (insert political party here)".

[Cassidy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for a history of Hispanics in the Republican party- this book is for you. If you want any coverage of the past 30 years- this book is not for you. From 1990 to 2020, it is only 1/13th of the entire book.

tl;dr- communism, small government, freedom are the reason various Hispanic groups previously voted for the Republican party in the US.

[Leonide Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fact-filled exposition of how Hispanic and Latino people in the U.S. have disparate backgrounds and diverging values. Like any large, complex group, there is no single approach to politics and it's risky to make assumptions where political sympathies lie. Very interesting the numerous people with these backgrounds that have held important positions and been involved actively in Republican campaigns and governance under officials of both parties. Dense but worth reading to learn and appreciate their diversity and complexity.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite read but I'm still glad I finished it. Author set out to explain hispanic vote in 2016 election but the book does very little on that regard. It is a comprehensive history of hispanic movements and politicians involved with the GOP.

[Ray Andrus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed and insightful look at the growing number of Republican Hispanics in the US. A lot of history and explanation of how the shift occurred and continues to do so.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely a history. I definitely learned a few things I didn't know and better understood some basic realities. Would have liked to see more data in the book generally.

[Josh Adamek · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to understand 2024 a little better…

[Ceil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Workmanlike survey of Hispanic Republicanism since Nixon. Anything that reminds us that no ethnic group is a monolithic voting block is a good thing.