Latinos Waiting for Bush to Make Good on Pledge of a Diverse Administration

President-elect George W. Bush has often boasted of his ties to the Mexican American community and promised to make Cabinet choices reflect his commitment to diversity.

Now, having given Bush an estimated 38% of their votes nationwide, according to Los Angeles Times exit polls, many Latinos are anticipating prominent appointments in his administration.

In California, Bush pulled a lower-than-expected 23% of the Latino vote, but overall he reversed a 12-year slide for GOP presidential candidates among Latinos, despite the fact that many leaders of Latino organizations supported Democrat Al Gore.

“When I look at the face of the administration, I want to feel like there is a significant Hispanic presence in it,” said Al Cardenas, chairman of the Florida Republican Party. “I believe the Hispanic participation will be more significant than in any other Republican administration.”

Cardenas himself is being mentioned as a possible chairman of the Republican National Committee, though he deflected questions about his prospects and plans.

Bush insiders are loath to name names, but that has not stopped Latino activists from floating some.

Rep. Bonilla Among Prospects Mentioned

Those mentioned as possible Cabinet secretaries include Bush advisor Tony Garza, the first Latino Republican elected statewide in Texas, who was mentioned for either the Commerce or Energy departments, and Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-Texas), recently reelected to a fifth term in the House, who was mentioned for several Cabinet posts, including Agriculture and Housing. Antonia Novello, health commissioner for New York Gov. George Pataki and a former U.S. surgeon general under Bush’s father, has been mentioned for a senior job at Health and Human Services.

Bush also is expected to name Alberto R. Gonzales as White House counsel. Gonzales, 45, a graduate of Harvard who was born in Houston, served as Bush’s top legal advisor during his first term as governor. Last year Bush named him to the Texas Supreme Court, the second Latino to serve on that court.

Garza and Bonilla are Mexican Americans, Novello is Puerto Rican and Cardenas, a Miami lawyer, is Cuban American.

Sol Trujillo, a Denver high-tech executive who raised money for Bush, said that Latinos are looking for at least one appointment to an “elite” Cabinet position, such as Commerce or Health and Human Services.

Bush “has a chance to truly affect the 2002 and 2004 elections by demonstrating that a Republican administration can in fact find meaningful roles to take advantage of the Hispanic talent in this country,” Trujillo said.

Conversely, “if there aren’t Hispanics in prominent roles, people will look and perhaps say the stereotypes of the past continue--the Republican Party has not been sensitive to being inclusive,” he added.

400 Latinos Among Governor’s Appointees

As Texas governor, Bush has appointed more than 400 Latinos, according to his campaign. His first appointee, as secretary of state, was Garza, who may now follow him to Washington. He also named Latinos to the Texas Supreme Court, the University of Texas System Board of Regents, and the posts of insurance commissioner and chairman of the Board of Pardons and Parole.

“I have every expectation that he would do the same as president,” said California State Assemblyman Rod Pacheco (R-Riverside). “It’s going to take a considerable effort over a period of time for Republicans to gain the Latino vote, but I believe Bush has laid a great foundation.”

Signals from a Bush White House will be closely analyzed. Sergio Bendixen, an independent Miami pollster, said many Latinos remain convinced that Republicans harbor anti-immigrant sentiments.

According to Bendixen’s polling, Bush’s Latino support dropped in the closing days of the campaign because of opposition by congressional Republicans to a bill that would have granted amnesty to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants. The congressional debate was heavily covered by Spanish-language television, and Bush’s decision not to get involved was underscored.

Nonetheless, Bendixen said he believes that Bush has charismatic appeal for many Latinos. “It’s obvious when you watch him that he feels very confident around Latinos,” Bendixen said. “He knows how to kiss the women and hug the men.”

Several experts agreed it is likely that Bush got the highest number of Latino votes ever cast for a GOP presidential candidate. Although Ronald Reagan got a bigger percentage (46%) in 1984, the pool of Latino voters was numerically much smaller 16 years ago. According to a Republican National Committee analysis, Bush got an estimated 2.5 million Latino votes, a million more than GOP candidate Bob Dole in 1996.

Texas Lawyer Garza Keeping Low Profile

Of the prospective Latino appointees in the new administration, Garza would seem to have the inside track. Garza, a 41-year-old lawyer whose father ran a Texaco station in Brownsville, is an elected member of the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the state’s oil and gas industry.

Garza is keeping a low profile, but those who know him said that he considers Bush a good friend and mentor and would be eager to serve.

But some Texas political observers said Garza has signaled that he would not want to take on the job of Energy secretary, a seemingly natural step for someone already involved in regulating the industry. That post has turned into a political briar patch for another prominent Latino, Democrat Bill Richardson of New Mexico.

Political scientist Rodolfo de la Garza of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute, a think tank based in Claremont, Calif., with an office in Austin, Texas, said there is a split in Latino expectations.

Most leaders of established political organizations backed Gore and will expect little from Bush. But “the fledgling Latino business community will expect big things,” De la Garza predicted.