October 17, 2024
Latina Futures Election Experts
Latina voters will play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of this year’s election in key battleground states. With high turnout, Latinas have the ability to shift election outcomes and shape the future of democracy.
Latina Futures Experts have long studied this population and understand their political motivations, serving as important voices in the conversation about the 2024 Presidential Election.
Veronica Terriquez, Co-Founder of the Latina Futures 2050 Lab & Director of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
Veronica Terriquez conducts sociological research focused on civic engagement, immigrant integration, health, youth transitions to adulthood, and gender. Her work primarily examines social inequalities and identifies viable policy solutions to address them. By centering community concerns in her research, Dr. Terriquez seeks to inform efforts that promote inclusivity and expand opportunities for underserved populations. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from UCLA, an M.A. in Education from UC Berkeley, and a B.A. from Harvard University.
Email: comms@latinafutures.org
Sonja Diaz, Co-Founder of the Latina Futures 2050 Lab
Sonja Diaz is an expert in advancing equitable representation and opportunities for Latinas. With a keen focus on addressing the glaring underrepresentation of Latinas in legal academia and influential positions, Diaz has orchestrated a multifaceted inquiry aimed at exploring contemporary legal and advocacy challenges through a Latina lens. Through strategic collaborations with organizations such as the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials and the California Latino Legislative Caucus, she has facilitated unique information-sharing channels, bridging the gap between scholarly research and actionable policy solutions. She is a prominent on-air political analyst, regularly contributing her insights on electoral politics to platforms such as NBC Los Angeles, KTLA 5, and Spectrum News.
Email: comms@latinafutures.org
G. Cristina Mora, associate professor of sociology and the co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley
G. Cristina Mora is an expert on immigration, categorization, and racial and political attitudes in the United States. In 2020, she helped to oversee the largest survey on Covid-19 and partisan politics in California and published some of the state’s first briefs and academic articles on the subject. She is currently working on her next book, California Color Lines, which examines inequality and racial and immigration attitudes in California.
“Latinas have an opportunity to be game changers in this 2024 election. If they can help close the Latino turnout gap, then they will also help to stymie Republican efforts to gain ground in Latino communities.”
Email: cmora@berkeley.edu
Gloria Soto, Executive Director of Future Leaders of America
Gloria Soto is an expert on civic engagement, serving as the Executive Director of Future Leaders of America (FLA) which is one of California’s largest Latinx youth-serving organizations. She also served as the Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood California Central Coast (PPCCC), where she expanded access to quality reproductive health care, including safe and legal abortion, through community engagement and public policy.
“Latino voters, especially young voters are set to make a transformative impact in this and upcoming elections. As one of the fastest growing and increasingly engaged demographics, Latinos are driving conversations on important issues like healthcare, education, economic justice, immigration, and criminal justice reform. Young Latino voters, in particular, are leading the charge, bringing fresh energy and a long-term vision that will shape our nation’s political policies and future.”
Email: gloria@futureleadersnow.org
Jean Guerrero, Senior Journalism Fellow at the Latina Futures 2050 Lab and contributing opinion writer for The New York Times.
Jean Guerrero is an expert on journalism and Latino representation in the media. She is the author of “Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump and the White Nationalist Agenda” and “Crux: A Cross-Border Memoir,” which won a PEN Literary Award and was one of NPR’s Best Books of 2018. Guerrero has written numerous investigative articles for prominent publications including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal. She earned an Emmy for her work on the KPBS/inewsource series America’s Wall, which explored the real and human impact of the barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“If Donald Trump is defeated this November, it will be thanks to Latino voters. The MAGA Latino has taken up outsize space in the national imagination. Young, progressive Latinos have far greater power — so long as they receive more attention and outreach than they’re getting at the moment. Gen Z Latinos can save democracy, but politicians and philanthropists must acknowledge their existence. For a vast majority of Latinx youth, voting for Trump is unthinkable. They believe in abortion rights, gun control and a pathway to citizenship for the longtime undocumented population. They want to stop climate change. They’re more likely to belong to groups hurt by Trump’s policies. They’re more likely to identify as LGBTQ and more likely to be the children of immigrants. More than half of young Latinos have undocumented family members or close friends.”
Email: jeangue619@gmail.com
Celia Lacayo, Assistant Director, UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
Celia Lacayo is an expert in race, ethnicity, and immigration studies. Her article “Latinos Need to Stay in Their Place: Differential Segregation in a Multi-Ethnic Suburb” contributed to the literature on Latino segregation in the US and was featured in The Guardian, OC Weekly, and CityLab Latino. Dr. Lacayo also established a three-course series reflecting Black and Brown Solidarity that are cross-listed with several departments and has contributed to many Spanish and English language media outlets, including PBS, where her research was featured in the documentary 187: The Rise of the Latino Vote (2020).
“Latinos continue to be an integral part of the US and greatly contribute to the ideals of democracy and equality. They have had great impact in the last several presidential elections, particularly in swing states.
This year, Latinas and Latinx youth’s political participation stands to make history by contributing to the votes cast for the first woman and woman of color president in the US.”
Email: clacayo@chicano.ucla.edu
Claudia Sandoval, Assistant Professor in the Political Science and International Relations at Loyola Marymount University
Claudia Sandoval is an Assistant Professor in the Political Science and International Relations Department at Loyola Marymount University. Her work focuses on Black-Latino relations, Latino political behavior, and transnational politics. Sandoval’s work has been featured in The Washington Post, Latino Rebels, and Univision. Her most recent article, “Allies or Aliens: Understanding Black and Latine Relations through Racial Naturalization, Alienization, and Certification” (2022), was published by Ethnic and Racial Studies. Further, Sandoval is interested in understanding why political parties fail to engage with the nuances of the Latine vote, given their growing demographic numbers, especially among youth.
“For decades, the Democratic party has benefited from a growing Latine population that tends to vote Democratic. As this population grows, especially among the younger (seemingly more progressive) generation, one might expect to see a more powerful Democratic party. Yet, since 2016, there has been a resurgence of Latine conservative voters, leading many scholars and pundits to argue that the Latine community is experiencing an era of regression. I would like to see us focus our attention on how the Democratic party is failing the Latine voter. How can the Democratic party address economic concerns that impact the Latine community and help those in the informal sector join the formal economy? How can the Democratic party address undocumented folks without evoking the narratives of criminality and cartels to address concerns at the border? If the Democratic party does not do its due diligence to address the problems of the Latine voter, those voters will not simply turn Republican, but they may never show up at the voting booth.”
Email: claudia.sandoval@lmu.edu
