A Latino To Change Arizona

A Latino To Change Arizona

David Garcia is a fourth-generation Arizonan who has decided that it was time to take on the State’s biggest job – Governor. Let’s get to know him not just as a politician, but as a person.

For our interview, David was running late for the best reason of all – one of his two daughters needed help picking out her new glasses before school started. Every parent understands that priority. For David, it was extra special because of the confidence his daughter showed in his fashion-sense. All Dad’s should be so lucky, and it is a clear window into the man that wants to lead Arizona.

It is no secret, and David has clearly wanted it to be central to his campaign, that he is a proud Latino with a diverse background of which politician is the most recent. He is a veteran, scholar and public-servant that at 48 years-old thinks it is time for a seed-change in Arizona.

“Latinos, as a group, have the ability to change Arizona”

David describes Arizona as a “place of interracial and intercultural diversity”. Latinos are the biggest influence on that diversity. He points out that “the numbers are there” for Latinos to make changes to Arizona – Trump won Arizona by less than 100,000 votes while 600,000 voting-eligible Latinos did not go to the polls. David thinks that the fault lies with those who don’t understand the key aspect of the Latino “journey”.

David says that every Latino – whether here for days or generations – describes their experience as a journey. For David, his journey included a working-class family living in Mesa. His father was a “don’t work don’t get paid” laborer who “worked hard and loved his family harder”. His mom was his female-role model who taught him how to treat others and to not take himself too seriously. However, the key to his journey was the stability his family provided him. From that stability he found he could go anywhere – maybe even the highest office in the State.

“Don’t let the journey go to waste”

David believes that the culmination of every Latino’s American journey is to vote. If you don’t participate you are part of some else’s journey. He stated that it gave him great satisfaction to give Latinos a chance to vote, on a statewide office, for a candidate with a last-name like theirs for the first-time in 40 years.

Politically, David has observed that Latinos have been playing “defense” in Arizona – voting against, rather than for candidates. He wants his campaign to be about voting for things that make Arizona a better place to live.

“The border has always been an asset and not a liability to the State”

One of the changes David wants to enact as Governor, is an attitude change around how Arizona looks at immigration. Immigrations key components should remain “security and lawful entry to those who are ready to contribute and to be a place of refuge to those in need”. However, the cultural and economic benefits of the border should be expanded, not dismissed or vilified.

“My goal as Governor, when I walk out of the office, I want Arizona being one of the best places to be a kid”

The biggest point David wanted to make was that what is important to a people and a State has nothing to do with what group you affiliate. What is important is how we improve the live of our children and their families. He said his greatest “hurt” and “shame” is the Arizona in one of the worst places to be a child. That must change, and it will be his priority as Governor.