Why in the world did Mexican-Americans vote for mid-19th century style democrats? LOL
Well, In Texas, if they were permitted to vote at all, it would only be as part of the local political machines, which were Democratic. The only Hispanic to serve in the Texas state legislature in the 19th century was a Confederate veteran. Until 1952, thanks to poll taxes and gerrymandering, the number of Hispanics in the Texas state leg were either 1 or 0.
At the beginning of 1952, there were 22 Hispanic state legislators, one in Texas, one in Colorado, one in Arizona and 19 in New Mexico. The first Latino in California legislature wasn't until 1962. So, really, until the 1960s, the only state Mexican Americans held any clout was New Mexico.
http://www.houstonculture.org/hispanic/tejano1.htmlhttp://www.latinola.com/story.php?story=9173