Burnt Orange Report

Dean gets Hispanic Congressional Endorsement

By Byron LaMasters

I've written before that Howard Dean has had a little bit of trouble winning over minority voters. Dean's base is considered to be "gay and lesbian voters, urban and surburban NPR liberal whites, some environmentalists, etc". So far, he's been acceptable to most Black and Hispanic leaders, but has yet to be embraced by them. Needless to say, this makes me happy.

U.S. Representative Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) announced today that he will endorse Democratic presidential candidate Governor Howard Dean, M.D. Speaking at a ceremony here in Presidio Park, Grijalva hailed Dean as the one candidate who can beat President Bush in 2004.

"I am pleased to announce my support for Governor Dean," said Rep. Grijalva. "I believe that Governor Dean is the only one that can unseat President Bush and take this country into a new era. He cares for the people and is genuine in his beliefs. His leadership will provide Arizona and the rest of our Nation with a sense of values that will benefit all Americans."

In announcing his endorsement, Grijalva specifically cited Dean's stance as an advocate for health care and immigration reform, his support for education and civil rights, as well as his desire to reincorporate American values into its foreign policy.

"I am honored to be endorsed by Representative Raúl Grijalva," Dean said. "He is a strong advocate in Washington for his constituents and he is an inspiration for Latinos and all Americans. Rep. Grijalva's life-long work on behalf of teachers, public education and the environment has demonstrated the impact that a single individual can have, and he demonstrated last year in his race for the House just how important it is to engage people in the political process."

Rep. Grijalva, who previously served in elected office for thirteen years as a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, is now serving his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives after a surprise victory last fall that came after he mobilized typically disaffected Latinos in his district to reengage in politics and vote. Grijalva, whose first year in Congress is being profiled by the New York Times as part of a series on freshman representatives, represents a diverse district that is 50 percent Latino, and includes 200 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border as well as seven sovereign Native American nations.

Grijalva has a strong following in his Arizona district. He won by a heavy margin in a tough primary against a very well funded EMILY's List candidate (if I remember correctly). A lot of endorsements are relatively meaningless, but I think that getting a high profile Hispanic endorsement in the first primary with a large Hispanic population is a big help for Dean.