Héctor Tobar: Decoding Latinos

Latino voter participation jumped dramatically in the last two elections — yet the Washington DC political class seems pretty clueless about these voters. And if the surprising midterm results are a real trend, the Latino vote is in play for both parties. How effectively Democrats and Republicans persuade — or repel — Latinos could very well determine the winner of the presidency in 2024. To help dispel the big mystery about these voters, Fernando gets into it with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Héctor Tobar. He is a Professor of English and Chicano/Latino Studies at the University of California, Irvine. Tobar is a former bureau chief and columnist for the Los Angeles Times, opinion contributor to The New York Times, and author of several novels and works of non-fiction. In his latest book, Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of “Latino,” Tobar explores being Latino in modern America — the contradictions, angst, hope, and dreams.