Latin Post presents "Turnout," a series that features leading politicians, government leaders and advocacy groups discussing and debating the most important issues facing the Latino voting bloc.
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Colorado House of Representatives Majority Leader Crisanta Duran has identified the Centennial State’s Latino electorate is both important and diverse and they will become a major factor in the upcoming presidential election.

Duran, who serves as the state representative for Colorado's 5th District, is also the first Latina to become the House Majority Leader. And regardless of political party affiliation, Duran said it's currently an exciting time for Colorado's Latino community as they become the focus of political organizations and presidential candidates. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 21.2 percent of Colorado's population is Latino, higher than the 17.4 percent national average.

"There is an understanding that reaching out to the Latino community is very important," said Duran, but added that it has been "challenging" and "frustrating" to see some Republican Party candidates "demonize the Latino community." As a result, Duran believes the Latino electorate will have a major impact in the upcoming election and show the GOP's actions and statements were not beneficial to the party.

"The Latino vote is very diverse and Colorado is no exception," but despite how long a Latino family has lived in the state, whether they are a sixth-generation family or a first generation, the presidential campaign rhetoric can unify the community especially on the issues.

Duran has endorsed a candidate for president: Hillary Clinton.

"I'm supporting Hillary because of her qualifications and experience," Duran told Latin Post. "I think that she has the right understanding of the responsibility of serving as president of the United States, and she will be able to be effective and getting things done."

Duran said Clinton has a long history of supporting progressive values and has the foreign policy experience to address terrorism and providing a safe place for families.

Although Duran is grateful to be the first Latina majority leader, she said it is more important to make sure she is not the last. She has mentored young Latinos who are working to engage themselves politically -- some who want to become an elected official or are currently elected officials.

"It's that mentorship and that willingness to be able to support each other is where we've seen some of our greatest advancements in Colorado of the Latino community," Duran said.

"When I first got in, there was a handful of us that were serving in the legislature that were from the [Latino] community, and after the first two years, we worked to recruit other Latinos to run for a variety of offices and actually have a record number of Latinos serving in the Colorado legislature as a result of that recruitment.

"I feel a great responsibility as a result of serving as the first Latina majority leader. It's interesting because when I was running to serve as majority leader, I never told any of my legislators in the caucus, 'I hope to get your vote because I would be the first Latina.' It wasn't something I ever brought up or was it ever discussed but it was more about the values and vision that we collectively had to push for the right issues."

Duran has been working on ensuring people have the tools to be able to succeed and provide for themselves and their family. With her colleagues, she will be working on how to better focus workforce development, labor and business outreach and to better ensure people have a pathway to get the training and skills to meet employers' needs.

Prior to becoming a state representative, Duran was in the labor movement. She worked to advocate on behalf of grocery and meatpacking workers, which allowed her to learn a lot about immigration issues. Although she worked to progress workforce development, she tried to do as much as she could to push comprehensive immigration reform.

"Obviously it's a federal issue, still, but there's been somethings that we've been able to do at the State," such as the Colorado ASSET bill, which enables undocumented students to receive in-state tuition. She also created the American Dream political action committee (PAC) with the support of other Latino leaders, to fundraise funds to help candidates who supported the Colorado ASSET. Duran told Latin Post that thousands of undocumented students have been able to attend college at an affordable price as a result of the bill's passage.

Since becoming the Colorado House Majority Leader, Duran has encountered challenges as Republicans control the State Senate and Democrats control the House. Duran said, "Now, we're definitely working on a lot of economic security issues. As majority leader, I'm continuing to think about how we bring a variety of issues to the forefront, not only this session but the upcoming session that will start in January."

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

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