Two supporters of gubernatorial candidate Gina Raimondo walk past protesting union members outside a rally at which Raimondo announced her run for the Democratic nomination in Rhode Island in January.
Parades, social clubs and awards dinners are part of the routine of political campaigns everywhere. But if you're running to be Rhode Island's next governor, then there's one more stop you just can't miss.
Namely, the makeshift studios of Latino Public Radio, which is housed in a two-story, single-family home complete with a living room, dog and cat.
This local Spanish-language radio station based in Cranston, R.I., was co-founded almost a decade ago by Pablo Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, Latino Public Radio's president and host of its political talk show, says, "Every campaign, every campaign — no matter whether Democrat, whether Republican — all of them try to get to my show at least once a month."
Now that it's primary season, he jokes, people actually return his calls.
"Actually, I don't even have to call them," says Rodriguez. "They call me."
Rodriguez is talking about Rhode Island's gubernatorial candidates on an ethnically diverse slate that includes state treasurer Gina Raimondo, a Democrat and granddaughter of Italian immigrants; the Dominican-American mayor of Providence Angel Taveras, a Democrat whose parents emigrated from the Dominican Republic; and Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, a Republican and son of immigrants from Hong Kong.
There's also Republican businessman Ken Block and Clay Pell, a Democrat and grandson of the late Claiborne Pell, Rhode Island's longest-serving U.S. senator. Among the five gubernatorial candidates currently in the running, Pell serves as the genetic torchbearer of the Yankee patrician class that once dominated the state.
But times have changed in the nation's smallest state. Rhode Island's Latino community has almost doubled over the past decade, and that has led to a reordering of its traditional political landscape. Former Providence mayor Buddy Cianci says for other ethnic groups, the case is actually the opposite.
"Is there an Italian vote out there? Now, yeah, I guess you can say there is. But it's not like it was 20 years ago, or 30 years ago," says Cianci. "The Irish vote, I think even less."
Cianci served two terms in the state capitol — both ended with forced resignations after criminal convictions. But despite the controversies, his election in 1974 marked a first for Italian-Americans in a city long governed by Irish-Americans. Both groups had deposed the state's Yankee Protestant ruling elite decades earlier.
"Now the Hispanics are some years behind, and that's why they believe they need to get political power — and I agree with them," Cianci says. "And that's the natural progression in America."
Rhode Island's Dominican Independence and Heritage Award Committee's annual celebration is part of that progression. For ten years, social worker Everin Perez has helped to organize the event. She says that when she and her committee throw a party, politicians line up.
Perez left the Dominican Republic for Rhode Island as a teenager in the late 1970s. That's long before she could imagine that a son of Dominican immigrants would eventually become Providence's first Latino mayor — and be a candidate to become the state's first Latino governor.
Still, the Latino community itself includes immigrants from many countries and Dominican-American candidate Angel Taveras will have to work for the vote.
Providence resident Maritza Martell is still undecided — but she says one thing is clear: Rhode Island today is more welcoming than when she moved from Puerto Rico in 1980.
"So many doors were closing to me. Being a woman and Latina and with an accent, you cannot make it," Martell says. "However, now I feel that I can talk and people will listen."
Rodriguez of Latino Public Radio says this is all part of the circle of American political life.
"And you know, 10, 20 years from now, we're going to have another group of immigrants in our position today," he says. "And they will be trying to, you know, take us down from the political power, as all communities eventually do."
Today, Latinos are the voters to court in Rhode Island — but politicians haven't forgotten that white residents still make up more than three-quarters of the state.
For their recent interviews on Latino Public Radio, two of the gubernatorial candidates not only brought their own Spanish interpreters, but they were also armed in shades of green and geared up for their next campaign stop: The Pawtucket St. Patrick's Day Parade.
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Transcript
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Politics and ethnicity have gone hand-in-hand for much of the last century in Rhode Island. Italians, Irish, French-Canadians and Portuguese have been the most politically prominent groups. This year, the governor's race suggests a new power is rising: Latinos, in particular, Dominicans.
NPR's Hansi Lo Wang reports on how that new voting bloc is fitting into the traditional ethnic mosaic
HANSI LO WANG, BYLINE: Parades, social clubs, awards dinners, there's another can't-miss campaign stop if you're running to be Rhode Island's next governor.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Spanish spoken)
WANG: The makeshift studios of Latino Public Radio, housed in a two-story single family home, complete with a living room, dog and cat. This local Spanish-language radio station was cofounded almost a decade ago by Pablo Rodriguez.
PABLO RODRIQUEZ: (Spanish spoken)
GINA RAIMONDO: (Spanish spoken)
WANG: On this morning Rodriguez is talking politics with state treasurer Gina Raimondo, the granddaughter of Italian immigrants. She's one of five on an ethnically diverse slate of candidates in this year's governor's race.
In addition to an Italian-American, there's the Dominican-American mayor of Providence, Angel Taveras, and Cranston Mayor Allen Fung, the son of immigrants from Hong Kong. There's also businessman Ken Block and Clay Pell.
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CLAY PELL: (Foreign languages spoken)
WANG: He speaks Spanish, Chinese and Arabic. He's a grandson of Rhode Island's longest-serving U.S. senator and the genetic torchbearer of the Yankee patrician class that once dominated the state. Pablo Rodriguez says times have changed.
RODRIQUEZ: Every campaign, every campaign - no matter whether Democrat, whether Republican - all of them try to get to my show at least once a month.
(LAUGHTER)
WANG: People return your calls now?
RODRIQUEZ: Oh, absolutely. Actually, I don't even have to call them. They call me.
WANG: Rhode Island's Latino community has almost doubled over the past decade. That's led to a reordering of the state's traditional political landscape.
BUDDY CIANCI: Is there an Italian vote out there? Now, yeah, I guess you could say there is. But it's not like it was 20 years ago, or 30 years ago. The Irish vote, I think even less.
WANG: Former Providence mayor Buddy Cianci served two terms in the state Capitol - both ended with forced resignations after criminal convictions. But despite the controversies, his election in 1974 marked a first for Italian-Americans in a city long governed by Irish-Americans. Both groups had deposed the state's Yankee Protestant ruling elite decades earlier.
CIANCI: Now the Hispanics are some years behind, and that's why they believe that they need to get political power, and I agree with them. And that's the natural progression in America.
(LAUGHTER)
WANG: Rhode Island's Dominican Independence and Heritage Awards are part of that progression. For 10 years, social worker Everin Perez has organized the event. She says that when she and her committee throw a party, politicians line up.
EVERIN PEREZ: This is good. This is good. Oh my god. They're all here.
(LAUGHTER)
PEREZ: I'm not surprised.
WANG: Perez left the Dominican Republic for Rhode Island as a teenager in the late 1970s.
Long before she could imagine a son of Dominican immigrants would eventually become Providence's first Latino mayor and run to be the state's first Latino governor.
Is it safe to say I can guess who you're voting for?
PEREZ: It's supposed to be a secret, but you can guess.
WANG: Angel Taveras.
(LAUGHTER)
PEREZ: Yeah, he's my buddy. Yeah.
WANG: Still, the Latino community itself includes immigrants from many countries and Dominican-American candidate Angel Taveras will have to work for the vote.
Maritza Martell is still undecided, but she says one thing is clear: Rhode Island today is more welcoming than when she moved from Puerto Rico in 1980.
MARITZA MARTELL: So many doors were closing to me. Being a woman and Latina and with an accent, you cannot make it. However, now I feel that I can talk and people will listen.
WANG: All part of the circle of American political life, says Pablo Rodriguez of Latino Public Radio.
RODRIQUEZ: And, you know, 10, 20 years from now, we're going to have another group of immigrants in our position today, and they will be trying to, you know, take us down from the political power, as all communities eventually do.
WANG: And for now, politicians haven't forgotten that white residents still make up more than three-quarters of the state.
For their recent interviews on Latino Public Radio, two of the gubernatorial candidates not only brought their own Spanish interpreters...
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WANG: But they were also armed in shades of green, geared up for their next campaign stop...
(SOUNDBITE OF DRUMS AND BAGPIPES)
WANG: ...the Pawtucket St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Hansi Lo Wang, NPR News.
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MONTAGNE: You're listening to MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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