SHREVEPORT, La. ( KTAL/KMSS ) – The Latino population in northwest Louisiana has grown steadily in the past 20 years, and community advocates and political analysts explain how that is changing the political landscape in the state.
“Politicians sometimes will lack outreach for communities that they do not represent,” said Mario Villafuerte, the Executive Director of Rasa , a Latino advocacy group.
According to Villafuerte, the Latino and Hispanic community in the area has grown between two to three percent over the past two decades. Likewise, he believes the amount of Latino voters turning out in Louisiana this upcoming election will mirror the growing population coming from Mexico and Central America.
Political analyst Dr. Theron Jackson agrees.
“I think, generally, the Latino vote is going to be greater,” Jackson told KTAL. “It grew from 2012 to 2016, it grew from 2016 to 2020, and you think about what they were voting for. In 2012, it was Obama. In 2016, it was Trump. In 2020, it was Biden. And each time, the Hispanic vote has increased.”