Latinos stand with Democrats, and will shape nation’s political future

There is no doubt that the victory of Donald Trump’s Presidency was a surprise for all of us. 

The polls, Democrats, Republicans, data gurus, and all of the pundits got it completely wrong. We lost.

However, despite our loss at the presidential level, the fact of the matter is that as a party, we continue to be intact … and growing.

As a party, a majority of voters supported our presidential candidate. To be clear, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than 2.8 million votes.

{mosads}That simple but powerful fact is an important and critical distinction which must not be ignored if we truly want to come together as a country during the next four year. As a country, we have the responsibility to continue moving forward and work together as we look for solutions to the problems our country is currently facing. And yes, that includes working with both Democrats and Republicans. 

As president, Donald Trump has the responsibility to govern for all Americans, no matter which political party they belong to or which political ideology they follow.

So what did we learn during the 2016 Election?

The Latino vote continues to grow. Not only that, but they continue moving towards our party. In large part, thanks to the work of our party, the digital agency Espora; which was critical in mobilizing our community during the general election, and the Clinton Campaign — the most inclusive and diverse campaign in the history of The United States — more than 13 million Latinos made their voices heard this November. Those are record-breaking numbers, especially if we compare them to the 9 million Latinos voters who participated in 2008, and the 11 million Latinos who also participated in 2012.

Despite what critics and pundits want to say, the fact is that a majority of Americans, including a majority of Latinos, support the political agenda of the Democratic Party. 

According to the latest polling from Latino Decisions, almost 80 percent of Latino voters casted their ballots for Hillary Clinton.

As Democrats, we have a less than 24 months to take back the control of the Senate and the House of Representatives in order to ensure that we continue to protect the values and the rights of millions of Americans who need our help.

We have a lot of work to do ahead of us. As a party, we have a responsibility to continue to look for ways to improve. We must continue to dissect our identity as a party and ensure that we continue to be the most diverse party this country has ever known.

Now, more than ever, the incoming chair of our party, who ever that may be, must ensure that our party represents the diversity of our great country. Only then, can we ensure that we can successfully move forward as a nation.

We can get there. As Americans, we are used to tough challenges. We fall; we get up, and continue moving forward. 

Always.

José Aristimuño is principal at NOW Strategies. Former Deputy National Press Secretary at the Democratic Party and former director of Hispanic Media for Governor O’Malley’s Presidential Campaign.

The views expressed by Contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.