Nineteen members of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, including the president of the state Senate and speaker of the state Assembly, on Wednesday endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for President.
“I am proud to personally support former Secretary Hillary Clinton in her candidacy for President of the United States,” said Assembly Member Luis Alejo, a Democrat from Salinas who serves as chair of the caucus.
“For decades, California’s Latino legislators have fought to build bridges of opportunity for Californians,” he said. “Hillary Clinton has been a lifetime champion for the same things we fight for in California’s Latino community.”
Clinton is the likely Democratic nominee, but still faces an outside challenge from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Clinton has begun to focus her campaign on real estate developer and reality TV star Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, despite the continuing threat from Sanders.
Trump has called Mexican immigrants rapists and murders and vowed to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants, even if they are parents of American citizens.
Alejo said Clinton has proven that “she will fight to ensure our nation’s immigrants are treated with dignity and respect.”
Those endorsing Clinton included Sen. Kevin de León, president pro tempore of the Senate, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, and San Diego legislators Sen. Ben Hueso and Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez.
Latinos are a formidable block in California, with 28 percent of registered voters identifying as Hispanic. Trump’s candidacy has prompted an increase in voter registration among the state’s Hispanics.
