Latinos Without a Leader: Can Latinos Find Common Ground?

As of July 2012, Hispanics make up the largest ethnic or racial minority in the country, representing 17 percent of the nation’s population. Yet despite their increasing population in the U.S., Latinos lack a clear national leader to advocate for the issues impacting them the most. At least that’s what the latest study from the Pew Hispanic Center reports.

According to the study, which surveyed 5,103 Latino adults, three-quarters of Latinos in the U.S. say that the Latino community is in need of a national leader. However, 62 percent told Pew Hispanic that “they don’t know” who they consider “the most important Hispanic leader in the country today,” while 9 percent simply said there wasn’t one.

The study indicates that finding a national leader that advocates for the issues affecting the Latino community may be easier said than done. Most Latinos surveyed agreed that it is “extremely” important (29 percent) or “very” important (45 percent) to have a leader, but very few could agree on someone to represent them.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., topped the list as the most important Hispanic leader in the country with only 5 percent each. Former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa followed closely behind with 3 percent, while Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., closed the list at 2 percent.

The Pew Hispanic Center also found that Latinos of certain Hispanic origin mostly identified with leaders with shared origins. Rubio, for example, was named most often by Cubans at 25 percent. Meanwhile, Sotomayor was the favorite among Puerto Ricans at 11 percent.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, the lack of a national leader may be because Latinos do not agree that “their community has shared values.” Only 39 percent of those surveyed agreed that Latinos of different origins share the same values. An additional 39 percent said that Latinos share “some” values, while 19 percent said they share few or no values.

The study even showed that many Latinos cannot agree on terms to describe their identity. Only 20 percent said they identify as “Hispanic” or “Latino,” while a majority (54 percent) identify by their family’s origin term. Another 23 percent said they identify as “American.”

As Latinos continue to grow in number and influence in American politics, finding a national leader will become increasingly crucial. Latino issues, such as immigration reform, are taking center stage in Washington politics, placing a greater emphasis on the need for strong Latino leadership.