AWAKENING THE HISPANIC VOTING BLOC: STRATEGIES FOR STATE AND LOCAL ELECTIONS

Abstract

This paper delves into the contrasting dynamics of Hispanic voter engagement in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, during the 2016 presidential election and the 2017 local council bid. In 2016, a significant number of Hispanic voters turned out to support Hillary Rodham Clinton, a political insider with little in common with this voting bloc other than party affiliation. However, in the subsequent year, a young Hispanic female candidate running for a local council position failed to garner the same enthusiasm from Hazleton's Hispanic community. This study seeks to understand the factors behind this paradoxical behavior. While the paper does not aim to revisit Secretary Clinton's defeat, it utilizes the 2016 election as a backdrop to explore why Hazleton's Hispanic voters identified with a national figure like Clinton but remained apathetic toward a local candidate from their own community.