Latinos applaud Gomez, but torn on voting for him

LYNN – Tuesday’s primary win by Massachusetts’ first statewide Latino candidate is a historic moment for the state’s Hispanic community, but ethnicity alone won’t influence how many local Latinos vote, according to those interviewed by The Daily Item.”It’s great for the Hispanic community that we have leaders,” said Lynn School Committee member Maria Carrasco. “? But,” she continued, “when I support a candidate, it’s because they support issues that affect our immigrants.”Former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez, at age 47 a political newcomer, won the state’s Republican primary Tuesday for a special election to fill Secretary of State John Kerry’s U.S. Senate seat. The Cohasset resident is the son of Colombian immigrants, and he bills himself as a new face for the Republican party. He will campaign against veteran Democratic U.S. Rep. Edward Markey in the June 25 special election, as well as Richard Heos, an independent from Woburn.From the start of this fast-paced campaign, Gomez has embraced his Latino heritage. He introduced himself in campaign videos in Spanish, sharing how he learned to speak English in kindergarten before becoming a Navy pilot and SEAL, earning an MBA at Harvard Business School and launching a career in private equity.Gomez’s heritage is a huge factor for the chairman of the North Shore Latino Business Association, Domingo Dominguez, who said he plans to vote for Gomez specifically because he’s a Latino.“It’s time for a Latino to step up and start to represent the community that we are,” he said. ” ? I think that time has come.”But Gomez’s support has been minimal so far among Latinos, said Lynn activist Juan Gonzalez, who was one of many this week to call Gomez’s primary win a surprise.”Many locals leaders are shocked by the progress that he recently obtained,” Gonzalez said in an email to The Daily Item.Gomez joined Carrasco in calling for the Latino community to support whichever candidate has the best plan for immigration reform.Gomez’s campaign website says he supports securing America’s borders, deporting immigrants here illegally who have criminal records and finding a way to offer legal status for the rest of immigrants illegally in the United States.Those platforms are similar to the national Democratic platform and Markey’s, both of which call for a path to citizenship for immigrants already in the country illegally.Gomez’s surprising primary win could reflect a change in the way Republicans vote, even in liberal Massachusetts, said Charlie Gallo, who is not Latino and who teaches government at North Shore Community College.”He was up against two Caucasian male Republicans who both have good records,” Gallo said, adding: ” ? It’s great to see folks in the process on the Republican side who are not traditionally part of the Republican demographic.”But Gallo said it’s not clear if Gomez’s compelling life story and minority outreach can carry him through to a victory in the general election.He and Carrasco said Latinos – and the rest of the electorate – will likely vote on issues over ethnicity.”It’s not about (voting) because the last name is Gomez,” Carrasco said. “It’s about what you’re going to bring to the table, what you’re going to do for us, and how you think about us.”Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.Amber Parcher can be reached at [email protected].