The Latino Vote

California Governor's Race Latino Vote Update: Xavier Becerra vs. Steyer's $200M Machine

Chuck Rocha and Mike Madrid break down the seismic California Governor's race, where Xavier Becerra is surging despite being outspent 150-to-1 by billionaire Tom Steyer, who has already burned through $200 million, roughly $166 per vote. They unpack Steyer's undisclosed influencer campaign flooding Latino social media, what it means for the integrity of political messaging, and why Latino voters in California are rallying behind Xavier Becerra anyway. Plus: * Trump's cognitive decline - Can Democrats raise the age issue after defending Biden? * California primaries to watch - Linda Sanchez, Hilda Solis, and the LA Mayor's race (Karen Bass vs. Spencer Pratt) * Post-Supreme Court redistricting fallout - How states like Tennessee and Florida are already redrawing lines to dilute Latino and Black voting power * New Jersey's newest Congresswoman - A heartfelt moment with Rep. Anna Lilia Mejia * LIVE at NALEO - The podcast is recording LIVE on July 15 at the NALEO Annual Conference in Los Angeles *  Latino Vote Summit - June 23 in D.C., featuring Sen. Ruben Gallego - Recorded May 15, 2026 - Referenced in the episode: * The Washington Post - California gubernatorial candidate under investigation over payments to influencers: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/05/15/tom-steyers-influencer-campaign-triggers-california-investigation-over-undisclosed-posts/ [https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/05/15/tom-steyers-influencer-campaign-triggers-california-investigation-over-undisclosed-posts/] Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more episodes of The Latino Vote Podcast! Watch our episodes on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@thelatinovotepodcast [http://www.youtube.com/@thelatinovotepodcast] Find us on Substack: https://substack.com/@thelatinovotepodcast [https://substack.com/@thelatinovotepodcast] Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) [https://twitter.com/TheLatino_Vote]: https://twitter.com/TheLatino_Vote Visit our website for the latest Latino Vote news and subscribe to our newsletter: latinos.vote [https://latinos.vote/] If you want more of our discussions and behind the scenes please join our Patreon (www.patreon.com/thelatinovote [https://www.patreon.com/thelatinovote]) for exclusive content and opportunities!

Supreme Court GUTS the Voting Rights Act: What It Means for Latino Political Power

Chuck Rocha and Mike Madrid break down the Supreme Court's landmark ruling on Section 2 of the 1964 Voting Rights Act... and what it means for Latino political power across America. Mike tried to sound the alarms on this ruling back in October. Now the bomb has gone off. With 56 Latino members of Congress and dozens of race-based districts in jeopardy, both Republicans and Democrats are about to learn a hard lesson about taking the Latino vote for granted. In this episode: * Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act & racial redistricting explained * What this means for Latino and Black congressional seats across the country * Texas, Florida, & California redistricting * Are Latinos a partisan voting bloc? * The Florida Senate race to watch: Alex Vindman vs. a Trump-backed Republican * Recap of the White House Correspondents' Dinner & the scary security incident * Check your emails: Latino Vote Summit — June 23rd in Washington, D.C. - Recorded April 29, 2026 - Referenced in the episode: * SCOTUSblog - In major Voting Rights Act case, Supreme Court strikes down redistricting map challenged as racially discriminatory: https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/04/in-major-voting-rights-act-case-supreme-court-strikes-down-redistricting-map-challenged-as-racia/ [https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/04/in-major-voting-rights-act-case-supreme-court-strikes-down-redistricting-map-challenged-as-racia/] * EMC Research - Results from California Voter Survey: https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000019d-d6b0-d895-affd-d6f14bee0000 [https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000019d-d6b0-d895-affd-d6f14bee0000] * Advocate - Inside Grindr’s WHCD party, which was so packed it ran low on alcohol: https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/inside-grindr-whcd-party [https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/inside-grindr-whcd-party] - Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more episodes of The Latino Vote Podcast! Watch our episodes on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@thelatinovotepodcast [http://www.youtube.com/@thelatinovotepodcast] Find us on Substack: https://substack.com/@thelatinovotepodcast [https://substack.com/@thelatinovotepodcast] Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) [https://twitter.com/TheLatino_Vote]: https://twitter.com/TheLatino_Vote Visit our website for the latest Latino Vote news and subscribe to our newsletter: latinos.vote [https://latinos.vote/] If you want more of our discussions and behind the scenes please join our Patreon (www.patreon.com/thelatinovote [https://www.patreon.com/thelatinovote]) for exclusive content and opportunities!

EXCLUSIVE: Antonio Villaraigosa on Running for CA Governor & Reclaiming the Latino Vote

Former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joins Mike Madrid and Chuck for a raw, unfiltered conversation about the California Governor's race, the Democratic Party's broken relationship with Latino working-class voters, and what it will take to win them back. Villaraigosa doesn't just take on Trump, he challenges his own party. From ICE raids tearing families apart, to gas prices crushing Latino workers, to Democrats protecting sacred cows instead of their own constituents — this candidate for California Governor pulls no punches. Topics covered: * Why Villaraigosa is running for California Governor in 2026 * How the Democratic Party is losing Latino and working-class vote * His plan to push back on ICE raids and protect immigrant communities * Growing up in Boyle Heights and the birth of the Chicano civil rights movement * Marching with César Chávez and Dolores Huerta — and his thoughts on the controversy  * Why being pro-worker AND pro-business is the only path forward * California's affordability crisis and how it affects Latinos. - Referenced in the episode: * Bay Area Council Economic Institute - THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF MASS DEPORTATION IN CALIFORNIA: https://www.bayareaeconomy.org/files/pdf/Economic%20Impact%20of%20Mass%20Deportation_June%202025.pdf [https://www.bayareaeconomy.org/files/pdf/Economic%20Impact%20of%20Mass%20Deportation_June%202025.pdf] * Public Policy Institute of California - Business Regulation and Business Starts in California: https://www.ppic.org/publication/business-regulation-and-business-starts-in-california/ [https://www.ppic.org/publication/business-regulation-and-business-starts-in-california/] * UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute - Gasoline Costs and Affordability Pressures in California: Impacts on Latino Households: https://latino.ucla.edu/research/gas-costs-affordability-impacts-on-latino-households-ca/ [https://latino.ucla.edu/research/gas-costs-affordability-impacts-on-latino-households-ca/] - Recorded, April 24, 2026 - Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more episodes of The Latino Vote Podcast! Watch our episodes on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@thelatinovotepodcast [http://www.youtube.com/@thelatinovotepodcast] Find us on Substack: https://substack.com/@thelatinovotepodcast [https://substack.com/@thelatinovotepodcast] Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) [https://twitter.com/TheLatino_Vote]: https://twitter.com/TheLatino_Vote Visit our website for the latest Latino Vote news and subscribe to our newsletter: latinos.vote [https://latinos.vote/] If you want more of our discussions and behind the scenes please join our Patreon (www.patreon.com/thelatinovote [https://www.patreon.com/thelatinovote]) for exclusive content and opportunities!

NYT Reporter Jazmine Ulloa on "El Paso," the Border Story America Gets Wrong

America thinks it knows the story of the border. According to New York Times political reporter and author Jazmine Ulloa, it doesn't. Jazmine joins Chuck Rocha and Mike Madrid to discuss her groundbreaking new book El Paso — part memoir, part history, part love story — and why the city at the heart of America's immigration debate has been misread, misrepresented, and misused for decades. Jazmine was sitting in a movie theater when her phone wouldn't stop buzzing. The 2019 El Paso mass shooting, a racially motivated attack three minutes from where she went to high school, became the catalyst for a book years in the making. Through the stories of five families who crossed through El Paso dating back to the Mexican Revolution, Jazmine dismantles the myth of the "Hispanic invasion" and reveals a city that existed long before the United States did. From the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to family separations under the bridge, from Los Niños Héroes to the rise of the grand replacement theory, El Paso makes the case that this isn't a border crisis. It's a mirror. Chuck and Mike also dig into the California Governor's race, breaking down the Eric Swalwell implosion, Xavier Becerra's surge among working-class Latino voters, and why with early ballots dropping in two weeks, the real election has already begun. In This Episode: * How the 2019 El Paso shooting launched Jazmine's journey to write the book * Why El Paso, not Ellis Island, is the true lens for understanding American immigration * Nativism, xenophobia and the grand replacement theory: what history actually shows * Why working-class Latinos feel abandoned by both political parties * The California Governor's race: Becerra, Swalwell, Villaraigosa and early voting is right around the corner * Latino Vote Summit: June 23rd, Washington D.C. - We highly recommend Jazmine's book: El Paso: Five Families and One Hundred Years of Blood, Migration, Race, and Memory. Buy it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/El-Paso-Families-Hundred-Migration/dp/0593471865 [https://www.amazon.com/El-Paso-Families-Hundred-Migration/dp/0593471865] - Recorded April 22, 2026 - Referenced in the episode: * The New York Times - A Startlingly Vivid Portrait of El Paso, and of America: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/books/review/el-paso-jazmine-ulloa.html [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/books/review/el-paso-jazmine-ulloa.html] Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more episodes of The Latino Vote Podcast! Watch our episodes on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@thelatinovotepodcast [http://www.youtube.com/@thelatinovotepodcast] Find us on Substack: https://substack.com/@thelatinovotepodcast [https://substack.com/@thelatinovotepodcast] Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) [https://twitter.com/TheLatino_Vote]: https://twitter.com/TheLatino_Vote Visit our website for the latest Latino Vote news and subscribe to our newsletter: latinos.vote [https://latinos.vote/] If you want more of our discussions and behind the scenes please join our Patreon (www.patreon.com/thelatinovote [https://www.patreon.com/thelatinovote]) for exclusive content and opportunities!

Fixing Congress for Working-Class Power with Hector de la Torre | Latino Vote: Voices

Mike Madrid sits down with longtime California leader Hector De La Torre Romo for a powerful conversation on public service, immigration, corruption, and the future of working-class Latino communities. Hector shares the remarkable story of his parents' journey from a dirt-floor shack in Guadalajara to a working-class home in Southgate, CA... and how their struggle shaped everything he's become. From translating real estate documents as a seven-year-old to serving in the California State Assembly, Hector shares a deeply personal story shaped by faith, struggle, and a relentless commitment to justice. His story is the Latino story. They dive into: * The Latino migration experience through the gateway cities of Southeast LA County * How the closing of GM and Firestone plants transformed Southgate from 70% white to 80% Latino in just one decade * The shocking Southgate corruption scandal, and how Hector risked his life to fight it * His surprising family connection to Santo Toribio Romo, the patron saint of migrants * Why Mexican Catholicism is rooted in social justice, not social conservatism * His vision for Congress: Medicare buy-in reform, healthcare transparency, and government ethics * How Democrats can counter Trump's narrative with an affirmative agenda * The truth about ICE detention and the U.S. citizens being swept up in enforcement Now Hector de la Torre is running for Congress in California's newly created 41st district. CA 41 is a blue-collar, majority-Latino seat that reflects the heart of Latino America. Learn about Hector's campaign by visiting: https://www.hectordelatorreforcongress.com/ [https://www.hectordelatorreforcongress.com/] - Recorded April 10, 2026 - Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more episodes of The Latino Vote Podcast! Watch our episodes on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@thelatinovotepodcast [http://www.youtube.com/@thelatinovotepodcast] Find us on Substack: https://substack.com/@thelatinovotepodcast [https://substack.com/@thelatinovotepodcast] Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) [https://twitter.com/TheLatino_Vote]: https://twitter.com/TheLatino_Vote Visit our website for the latest Latino Vote news and subscribe to our newsletter: latinos.vote [https://latinos.vote/] If you want more of our discussions and behind the scenes please join our Patreon (www.patreon.com/thelatinovote [https://www.patreon.com/thelatinovote]) for exclusive content and opportunities!