November 2021
City & State Pennsylvania
Tuerk defeated Republican Tim Ramos in the Allentown mayoral race earlier this month.
his community for years, served as the vice chair of the Lehigh County Republican Committee. He said Latinos in Allentown care about real world issues over identity politics and that played a role in the gains Trump made in Pennsylvania. “At the end of the day, what people want is to provide for their families,” Ramos said. Latino voters may not have liked Trump’s attitude or rhetoric, but keeping their businesses open and thriving were top priorities. In cities like Reading and Allentown,
voters will be looking for candidates that don’t just pander to them but understand their community and work to properly represent them. Allentown’s recent mayoral election resulted in the city’s first Latino mayor. Mayor-elect Matt Tuerk is of Cuban descent. He said his ability to speak Spanish went a long way in connecting with city residents, many of whom said officials never attempted to reach out to them. “They need to take Latino voters very seriously,” Tuerk said of Democratic candidates. “[The party] can learn from what is happening here and take that to places like Lancaster and Philadelphia and have a positive impact.” But what exactly is happening in cities like Allentown and how can candidates engage with voters? Diana Robinson, civic engagement director at Make The Road Pennsylvania, said it comes down to candidates actively listening instead of just talking, and more importantly, understanding the values and cultures of the communities they’re looking to represent. “We make up such a big percentage of these communities, but oftentimes, we don’t see elected officials who represent us or our values,” Robinson said. “We are invested in supporting and elevating candidates that will not only look like us but support our values and our struggles.” Make The Road Pennsylvania is a Latino organization that helps low-income and working-class immigrants in Philadelphia, Berks and Lehigh counties fight for change in their communities. Robinson said they’ve been working on voter registration efforts to help communities get more involved. The issues that matter most to them are not uncommon. During the pandemic, many people were worried about health and safety, affording rent and utilities and quality education. Will Gonzalez, executive director of Ceiba, told City & State: “this is not complicated.” “It’s paying attention. It’s listening. It’s talking,” Gonzalez said. “If you think that only speaking Spanish is going to do it, [you’re] wrong. It’s not just speaking Span-
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ish. It’s hearing what the needs are for that constituency.” Ceiba is a coalition of Latino community-based organizations in Philadelphia. Gonzalez said the 2020 election proved Democrats need to do more to maintain the Latino voting bloc, but that the issues are not limited to either party. Campaigns and organizations have numerous tactics to improve outreach to voters, particularly people of color. Although it may sound easy to engage with communities to understand their values, Guzman says cultural competence must be an integral part of campaigns.
”Latinos are getting more engaged now than ever. They’re tired of just sitting on the sidelines.” –Tim Ramos
“The number one thing is having cultural competence within these campaign structures, someone who understands what the situations on the ground are like, and can direct candidates in terms of the pitfalls to avoid,” he said. In addition to his work on the Biden campaign, Guzman also helped Reading Mayor Eddie Moran get elected. He said past campaigns have failed to truly connect with Latino voters who can be transient in cities like Reading. Going out to meet them and getting your message across must go beyond just using Google Translate to print materials in Spanish, he said. “We care about bread and butter issues just like everyone else,” Guzman said. “But you also need to invest the resources right and real dollars that are necessary to turn out these very hard-to-reach voters.”
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