Ethnicity and Electoral Choice: Mexican-American Voting Behavior in California 30th Congressional District

Abstract

The 1982 election in California offers a unique natural experiment in ethnic and racial bloc voting. The race in the predominately Hispanic 30th Congressional District matched a well-financed Anglo Republican, John Rousselot, against an incumbent Hispanic Marty Martinez. On the ballot with Martinez and Rousselot were the successful Republican candidates for governor and the U.S. senator George Deukmejian and Pete Wilson, and the losing Democratic candidates, Tom Bradley (who is black) and Jerry Brown. These variations in the race and ethnicity of the candidates on the ballot in 1982 were used to estimate the impact of ethnic and racial considerations in voting decisions.

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