The Wielding Influence of Political Networks: Representation in Majority-Latino Districts

DOI10.1177/1065912917727368
Published date01 March 2018
AuthorAngela X. Ocampo
Date01 March 2018
Subject MatterArticles
https://doi.org/10.1177/1065912917727368
Political Research Quarterly
2018, Vol. 71(1) 184 –198
© 2017 University of Utah
Reprints and permissions:
sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/1065912917727368
journals.sagepub.com/home/prq
Article
Introduction
Despite being a majority-Latino district, with a 77 percent
Latino population, Texas’s Twenty-Ninth Congressional
District is currently represented by Rep. Gene Green
(Democrat; D), a non-Latino. Rep. Greene was elected to
this district as it became an open seat in 1992. Greene fin-
ished second in a five-way Democratic primary, behind
City Councilman Ben Reyes. However, in the general
election, Greene defeated Reyes by 180 votes. Since then,
Rep. Greene has won reelection, and no Latino candidate
has been able to successfully unseat him.
In contrast, Illinois’ Fourth Congressional District,
whose constituency is 70 percent Latino, is currently rep-
resented by Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D). In 1992, Gutierrez
won a four-way primary in this newly drawn district. He
moved on to successfully defeat his Republican opponent,
and he has won reelection every cycle since he entered
office. The tale of these two majority-Latino districts begs
an important question. How are some majority-Latino dis-
tricts, such as Illinois’ Fourth, able to successfully elect a
Latino to Congress, and congressional districts such as
Texas’s Twenty-ninth unable to do so?
Most of the literature on Latino representation focuses
on the role of voters and candidate characteristics. As
such, this body of scholarship holds that demographics in
majority-minority districts are largely responsible for the
manifestation of co-ethnic descriptive representation
(Branton 2009; Casellas 2011; Lublin 1999; Preuhs and
Juenke 2011). However, largely understudied in this
scholarship is the role of political parties and interest
groups. While there is a long-established literature that
examines the role of groups, parties, and elites in deter-
mining candidate emergence (Cohen et al. 2008; Herrnson
1988; Herrnson and Gimpel 1995), little is known about
how the activities of groups and political networks spe-
cifically shape Latino representation in majority-minority
districts. Much less is known about the potential link
between political network activity and Latino substantive
representation.
This paper examines how political networks and
groups influence Latino representation. Specifically, the
paper investigates the puzzle of why some majority-
Latino congressional districts attain Latino descriptive
representation while others do not, and it examines the
role of political networks in yielding representation in
727368PRQXXX10.1177/1065912917727368Political Research QuarterlyOcampo
research-article2017
1University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Corresponding Author:
Angela X. Ocampo, Department of Political Science, University of
California, Los Angeles, 4289 Bunche Hall, Box 951472, Los Angeles,
CA 90095-1472, USA.
Email: angelaxocampo@ucla.edu
The Wielding Influence of Political
Networks: Representation in
Majority-Latino Districts
Angela X. Ocampo1
Abstract
Latino-majority congressional districts are far more likely to elect Latino representatives to Congress than majority-
white districts. However, not all majority-Latino districts do so. This paper addresses this question, and it investigates
how the level of influence of political parties and interest groups in majority-Latino districts substantially shapes Latino
representation to the US House of Representatives. I rely on five case studies and a dataset of candidates to open
congressional races with a Latino population plurality from 2004 to 2014. The evidence indicates that groups and
political networks are critical for Latina/o candidate recruitment, the organization of resources in a congressional
district, the deployment of campaign resources on behalf of certain candidates, and the eventual success of Latina/o
candidates. The findings suggest that Latino descriptive and substantive representation are shaped by the wielding
influence of political parties and interest groups.
Keywords
Latina/o candidates, representation, majority-minority districts, political parties, open-seats

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT