The Diplomat
The use of Spanish continues to consolidate in the political life of the United States and has grown significantly in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, according to the report Spanish in U.S. politics, published by The Hispanic Council and presented yesterday at the Congress of Deputies.
The study, now in its third edition and prepared every two years to measure the use of the Spanish language by U.S. congressmen and senators in their communication with the electorate, shows that “there is a strong upward trend in the use of Spanish in recent years,” according to the think tank.
According to the report, the use of Spanish in the United States continues to grow and has increased from 55 to 57 million people compared to the two previous editions. In addition, the Hispanic community comprises, according to the 2020 census (released this year), 18.7% of the total U.S. population, up from 14.2% in 2010, and has increased in every state. By 2060, the Hispanic population is projected to comprise 27.5% of the total U.S. population.
On the other hand, the use of Spanish among members of the House of Representatives has grown by more than 21% in four years. In 2018 there were 62 congressmen who used Spanish, in the second edition there were 69 and in 2022 there are already 74 congressmen who use Spanish in their digital communication. The Democratic Party is close to 30% (from 50 to 64 in four years, 28.8% of the 222 Democratic congressmen) and the Republican Party recovers in 2022 the figure from four years ago of ten congressmen who make use of Spanish in their digital communication.
As for the Senate, there are already 28 senators (28% of the total of the chamber) who use Spanish, while in 2018 there were 13. In other words, in four years the use of Spanish in the Senate has doubled. The Democratic Party is above 20% and multiplies its numbers from nine to 22 in four years and the Republican Party surpasses the barrier of four senators, since, after the 2020 elections, five Republican senators use Spanish.
In addition, the use of Spanish transcends Hispanic representatives in Congress. In the House of Representatives, 41 members are of Hispanic origin and 74 use Spanish. In the Senate, six senators are Hispanic and 28 use Spanish.
The report also shows that the Hispanic community is an increasingly decisive element in U.S. politics. The 2020 presidential election mobilized 60-65% of the Hispanic voter when, traditionally, half of the Hispanic population did not go to the polls. The 2022 midterm elections present a good opportunity to closely monitor Hispanic voting behavior.
