‘Yes, we were surprised,’ said Joe Henry of LULAC’s Iowa chapter about Democrats’ sweeping wins
WAUKEE, Iowa —
Before the election, KCCI spoke with some Latino voters who named affordability, rhetoric, and education as key issues during the election.
In the aftermath, it’s become apparent Latinos played a large role in shifting the balance of power both in Iowa and the U.S.
Angelica Gallardo is one of them. She went to the polls for the very first time as a brand new American citizen.
“I feel very proud, very proud, because now I can vote,” she said.
She’s one of many Latino voters who played a part in what many are calling a “blue wave.”
It’s too early to tell exact turnout numbers. But the Latino civil rights organization League of United Latin American Citizens is tracking it, based on its voter data.
“So we’re expecting out of the 100,000 Latino voters that we would have here in Iowa, that we’re probably up there in the 60-some thousand of Latino voters that would have voted,” said Joe Henry, LULAC’s State Political Director in Iowa.
“We’re expecting that the overwhelming majority of those voters voted Democrat this time,” especially based on national trends.
When Angelica Gallardo voted blue down the ballot, she had a few issues in mind. Kids on DACA status was one of many.
“I was worried about immigration. I was worried about a lot of things,” said Gallardo. “The gasoline go up every day, and I was worried about that.”
And Henry says she’s not the only one.
“People are just they can’t make ends meet at this point. So that’s having an impact,” said Henry. ” We heard it from people in the neighborhoods, especially those who had voted Republican before, is that we cannot afford having that administration do what they’re doing.”
Henry said a turning point for many was seeing family and friends getting arrested.
Like Gallardo, he said many saw voting as the way to engage. But even then…
“Yes, we were surprised. We were surprised,” he said, referring to Tuesday’s results.
For Gallardo, the chance to vote is a reason to stay educated and have a say in her community.
“Now I’m very interested to learn what people is running for schools, for districts, for everything. And now I feel more and more excited. I want to learn about that,” she said.
“Now I can say, Waukee is my home now. I can say USA is my home.”
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