Latinos remain underrepresented in North Carolina politics

North Carolina’s Latino population has boomed significantly, but the number of candidates running in local elections is not reflecting the group’s growth. In this midterm election, Latinos remain underrepresented in local politics. 

North Carolina’s Latino population has grown nearly 40% over the last decade, according to NALEO Educational Fund, and that means more eligible voters. Out of 2,000 candidates running for office this election, only 27 identify as Hispanic, and only four of them are running in the Triad. 

Ricky Hurtado is the only Latino currently in the North Carolina state legislature. He currently represents District 63 for Alamance County and is running for reelection. 

Hurtado says it’s definitely a big responsibility and privilege to be the first Latino Democrat in the legislature, but one of the hurdles is bilingual staff, since he is expected to serve the needs of the Spanish speaking community across the state.

"That's a duty that I'm happy to fulfill as we continue to think about how do we get the Latino community's voice at the table when it comes to politics in North Carolina," explains Hurtado. "But it's certainly a challenge when you just think about capacity and people's realistic expectations of what that looks like."

He says his first priority is to serve his district, but there is definitely a need to get more representation in the future.

According to NALEO, more than 100,000 Latinos are expected to vote on November 8. 

This story was produced by a partnership between WFDD and La Noticia. You can read this story in Spanish at La Noticia.

Eileen Rodriguez is a reporter for both WFDD and La Noticia through Report for America, where she covers COVID-19's impact in the Latino Communities.

Periodista de La Noticia y 88.5 WFDD, Eileen Rodríguez reporta el impacto de COVID-19 en la comunidad Latina en Carolina del Norte. Rodríguez es miembro del cuerpo de periodistas de Report for America 2021-2022