David L. Leal

Home is Where the Heart is Congressional Tenure, Retirement, and the Implications for Representation

A variety of scholars and political actors in both the modern and founding eras have thought that members of Congress may personally grow apart from their constituents over time. There has been little empirical evidence for this proposition, however. Using logit regression analysis, this article suggests that members become less personally rooted in their home constituencies and more focused on life in Washington as their tenure increases. Specifically, the more years served by members of the House, (a) the less likely they are to return home after leaving office and (b) the more likely they are to work as lobbyists in Washington, even after controlling for multiple personal and political factors. Longer serving senators are somewhat less likely to return home but are not more likely to become lobbyists. The article discusses the problems this dynamic phenomenon of psychological distance may pose for the member-constituent relationship.

Political Participation by Latino Non-Citizens in the United States

This article examines the extent of political participation by Latino non-citizens across the United States. The only previous national quantitative research on this topic is by Verba, Schlozman and Brady, who found little difference between the participation rates of Latino citizens and non-citizens. Using the Latino National Political Survey, large differences between citizen and non-citizen participation are found. Although Latino non-citizens participated in non-electoral political activities and in non-political civic groups, they were significantly less likely to do so than Latino citizens. Examination of the non-citizen population shows that immigrants who understood politics better, planned on naturalizing, had a stronger ethnic identity, were more familiar with English and were younger were more likely to become involved. The traditional socio-economic measures of education and income as well as length of stay in the United States were non-significant predictors of non-citizen participation.

A latino on the ballot: Explaining coethnic voting among latinos and the response of white Americans

In recent campaigns, candidates have sought to attract votes from the growing Latino electorate through ethnic cues. Yet, we know very little about the impact of appeals to ethnicity. This article examines the role that ethnic cues play in shaping the political opinions and choices of Latinos, as well as the response of non-Hispanic White Americans (Anglos). We take up the simplest of group cues, the ethnicity of the candidate. We argue that candidate ethnicity is an explicit ethnic cue that alters the political choices of Latinos through priming of their ethnic linked fate, but only affects Anglos through spreading activation of primed ethnic attitudes to national identity considerations. Evidence from an experiment that manipulated exposure to candidate ethnicity information provides evidence for these claims. Our results help to explain coethnic voting among Latinos and resistance to Latino candidates among Anglos.

A Shrinking “Digital Divide”? The Provision of Classroom Computers across Urban School Systems

Objective. To determine the extent of the urban school “digital divide”—the varying provision of computer technology to students of different races and classes—and whether it has changed in the 1990s. Methods. Ordinary least squares and logit regression analysis is conducted on the 1995 Council of Urban Boards of Education survey, encompassing 72 urban school districts. Results. Districts with a higher percentage of African American students provided fewer computers per student, whereas community educational level, family income, and Latino enrollment had no effect. On the other hand, districts with more African American students reported recent decreases in the student-to-computer ratio, and comparisons with recent research suggest that the magnitude of this digital divide has decreased. Conclusions. Urban school districts appear to be addressing the digital divide, although inequalities in computer access remain.

It's Not Just a Job: Military Service and Latino Political Participation

Using the Latino National Political Survey, this paper tests the hypothesis that military service serves to stimulate electoral and nonelectoral political participation by Latinos. The results are compared with those for Anglos (non-Hispanic whites). The data show that Latino veterans, and particularly draftees, exhibited higher levels of voting and low-intensity nonelectoral political activities. Anglo veterans did not increase their participation to the same extent. Service in the volunteer army was a much less important explanatory factor of both Latino and Anglo political participation. Military experience therefore has a greater impact on Latinos than Anglos, and the draft experience was more important than volunteer service.

American Public Opinion toward the Military Differences by Race, Gender, and Class?

This article uses a national survey of Latinos, African Americans, and Anglos (non-Hispanic whites) to test multiple hypotheses for public support of military expenditures, enlistment in the military, and overall evaluations of the military. While polls show that the military is the most respected government institution, it is less clear whether particular sectors of the contemporary public are more or less supportive—especially the growing Latino population. This is important because an ethnic gap in public opinion might lead to future difficulties in securing funding as well as volunteers. The article also examines whether factors such as gender and class are related to military support. The results show that Latinos are more likely than Anglos to encourage young people to enlist, but Latinos are less supportive of military spending. Women are also more likely than men to oppose spending, while the African American and socioeconomic status variables are not significant.

Latinos, Immigration, and the 2006 Midterm Elections

The 2006 election will best be remembered for returning Democrats to power in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. By almost any metric, November 7 was a bad day for the Republicans. After 12 years of Republican majorities, the Democrats picked up 31 seats in the House and six in the Senate. While significant GOP losses were expected, the results on Election Day were essentially the best case scenario for the Democrats.

PLAYING THE “LATINO CARD”: Race, Ethnicity, and National Party Politics

The Democratic and Republican parties both pursue a Downsian median voter strategy that has direct implications for the role of African Americans and Latinos in national politics. The driving force in much national politics is still the politically polarizing Black-White divide in the South, which provides the necessary foundation for a nationally competitive Republican Party. This Black-White racial divide also pushes the Democratic Party to deracialize its campaigns as guided by the strategy of the Democratic Leadership Council. Counterintuitively, however, the more recent strategy of the Republican Party also contains symbolic appeals to racial inclusion with a specific focus on Latinos and a consistent marginalization of African Americans. These are efforts to soften their social conservatism to appeal to moderate “swing” White voters. We conclude that the current politics of race and ethnicity in national party politics, by Republicans and Democrats, can serve to marginalize the interests of both African Americans and Latinos in substantive policymaking.

The Multicultural Military: Military Service and the Acculturation of Latinos and Anglos

Using the Latino National Political Survey, this article examines whether military service helps explain the responses given by Latinos to questions on acculturation. The data show that Latino veterans (and particularly draft-era veterans) had more friendships with Anglos (non-Hispanic whites), spoke more English at home, were more likely to experience discrimination, and were also more likely to correctly identify Cesar Chavez. Service in the volunteer military, however, was related only to the first two questions. In addition, there is evidence that Anglo veterans were more familiar with Latino culture. The article concludes that the end of the draft may have eliminated a useful forum for intercultural and intracultural learning for both groups, although the volunteer military does have an impact on Latino acculturation.

Quality, Race, and the Urban Education Marketplace

A key issue in urban education policy is the potential impact of market-based reforms. Using a data set encompassing 50 urban school systems, the authors investigate the market reform hypothesis by assessing the impact of perceived school performance, race, and religion on private school enrollment. Previous work in this vein has relied on statewide data, generating findings that may not generalize to the urban districts at the center of the school choice debate. The authors find some evidence that perceived public school quality may affect enrollment, consistent with claims that competition spurs improvement. Consistent with previous work, the results also suggest that religious and racial considerations influence school selection.