The mantra is simple: God, Country and Family. It is the new calling card of a rising Hispanic populist right-wing, a new member of the GOP MAGA constituency, filled with election deniers and populated by many once considered loyal Democratics. They are fiercely Roman Catholic (or evangelical) – adhering to the most traditional and fundamental tenets of their faith. They believe that it is the Democrats who deserted them, not the reverse. Even as some of these voting citizens struggle with English, representing their status as legal-immigrants-now-citizens, they decry the massive immigration they see on our southern border.
They followed the rules, mostly at a time when Ronald Reagan’s path to citizenship allowed them or their parents to achieve citizenship though a legal and predictable process, and do not want newbie immigrants, increasingly from countries south of Mexico, to have the same opportunity. It is noteworthy that Congress has not been able to pass meaningful immigration reform since that Reagan era. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and the resulting Reagan amnesty program a year later, were the last significant elements of immigration reform enacted by Congress. The law applied only to existing undocumented residents, not future immigrants.
No longer simply those male Latinos, attracted to the machismo they recognized and admired in Donald Trump, this new faction represents a national voting pattern that had 28% of Hispanics vote for Mr. Trump in 2016, rising to 32% in 2020. In elections where a single percentage point can be the margin of victory, this is beyond significant. Let me dissect the meaning of that God, Country and Family mantra that is at the core of this Hispanic vote. “God” means conservative Christianity, mostly Catholicism. They believe that abortion, homosexuality and anything other than a traditional “male/female” gender definition defile their faith. “Country” embraces the anti-immigration posture described above with a strong revulsion over governmental regulation and social programs. And “family” is a deeply anti-LGBTQ+ vision that completely rejects both gay marriage and the ability of gay couples to adopt children.
While most of this right-wing assemblage is comprised of older Hispanic voters, the shift in voting patterns noted above is increasingly a function of younger (Y and Z) generations now rising into political maturity. Like their older religious peers, they have never been comfortable with White candidates asking for their votes. But as fellow Hispanic candidates, embracing these ultra-conservative views, enter political races, this “brown like me” factor is making its mark.
They do not believe that the United States is a secular nation and join in fellow White evangelicals in a belief that Christianity should indeed be our recognized national religion, while accepting that other faiths could practice their beliefs. Many reject the notion that our First Amendment represents an official separation of church and state, a pattern that is now seeping into Supreme Court opinions.
The new face of this right-wing Hispanic movement – noting that she does not believe that prioritizing God, Country and Family is remotely right-wing – is the Congressperson from the South Texas 34th District, a 36-year-old deeply religious millennial, Mayra Flores. Her official Website reads: “Voters in District 34 have realized we no longer have to beg for scraps from Nancy Pelosi and the Washington liberals. As the first Mexican-born woman to serve in Congress, I am fighting for opportunity and security for all those living in our amazing district. Our America First policies resonate with the Hispanic community and others who live in this district. For over 100 years, the Democrat Party has taken for granted the loyalty and support South Texas has given them for decades. But they do nothing to earn our vote or our support. And meanwhile, President Biden is killing Texas jobs, weakening border security, and weakening our standing in the world. Enough is enough.”
Given the strong Democratic reaction to Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which reversed Roe vs Wade this year, and the rainbow coalition the operates under the umbrella of Democratic politics and platforms, regaining traction among religiously conservative Hispanics seems a longshot for Democrats. Flores is now the darling of the GOP’s most conservative, right-wing faction, being pulled into their showcase events like this last August’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) event which featured speakers like Hungary’s White nationalist Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, and even Donald Trump.
While Democrats are gaining some traction among women in general, particularly those with some higher education, unless they are able to recapture a meaningful segment of working-class Americans, who had migrated into MAGA land where they embrace GOP culture wars with passion, and pull in more politically disillusioned liberal younger citizens of voting age who traditionally do not vote, they are going to watch close elections, where, even if they win, they will be challenged in the courts… and perhaps by violent right-wing resistance. Uphill battles, particularly in a midterm election year where incumbent parties traditionally lose congressional seats… to say the least.
I’m Peter Dekom, and the Democratic tent needs to expand, on bread and butter issues in support of our democracy, to ensure that those that should indeed vote as Democrats… really do.
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