A Latino mayoral candidate in Philadelphia?

Things are getting interesting in the upcoming mayoral race in Philadelphia. Of the four officially declared Democratic candidates, 50% are Latino. And when we mix race relations to high political elections, everyone is bound to add their two cents about what "they" can do for the community. But it isn't only about race right?


Al Dia News did state the following (and very true):

"One of the Latino mayoral candidates, Nelson Diaz, is part of the storied Puerto Rican community, which has — to date — given us all of our Latino representation in the city and state (currently, María Quiñones-Sánchez in city council; Ángel Cruz and Leslie Acosta in the state legislature). The other Latino candidate, Ken Trujillo, hails from the second most sizable Latino community in the city — those with Mexican heritage — a group that is only now starting to gain political agency with professionals such as Trujillo and his campaign's director of policy Fernando Treviño, at the fore."

I have had the pleasure to meet both and work with them on some capacity. Both had served on numerous boards and worked in government. Of course according to some people they aren't great competitors when it comes to the race.  State Sen. Anthony Williams and former Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham are probably the better known (and more likely to win?)

I think what we have to understand is the following: It's the first time Latino candidates run for mayor and the goal is to get Latinos out to vote! Axis Philly wrote an article on the possibility of a Latino mayor and said, "The fact is that while there is a sizeable bloc of Latinos registered to vote (one estimate puts them at 100,000-plus); getting them to go to the polls is another matter."

What would you want to see from these candidates?

For more information on the two Latino candidates, visit http://www.nelsondiazformayor.com and  http://kentrujillo.com.

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Update: On Wednesday, January 21 the Philadelphia Inquirer tweeted the following

Ken Trujillo withdraws from the mayoral race. "There are family matters that require my full attention," he says by news release.
— Philly Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) January 21, 2015

Announcing his departure from the mayor's race, Ken Trujillo says, "We must leave the door open for another candidate to enter this race."
— Philly Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) January 21, 2015