Some facts and figures informing Friday's Arizona Week discussion of Latino progress in Arizona:
-- In 2010, Arizona's total population was 6,392,017, and of that, 29.6 percent, or 1,895,149, are Latino.
-- In employment, Latinos since the recession began in December 2007, the Mexican and Asian populations are actually experiencing the fastest growth rates in the United States. Latino employment rose from 19.5 million in 2009 to 20.7 million in 2011, an increase of 6.5%, says the Pew Hispanic Center. Latinos lost 473,000 jobs in the recession, but gained 1.3 million in the recovery.
--College-age Latinos account for 1.8 million, or 15% of total enrollment of 12.2 million in two- or four-year colleges nationally in 2010.
-- Arizona Latino voters preferred Pfresident Obama over Sen. John McCain by 56 percent to 41 percent in the 2008 presidential election, according to the NALEO Education Fund.
-- About 16 percent of Arizona's registered voters are Latino.
-- 351 Latinos hold elective office in Arizona, including two members of Congress.
Cesar Chavez is considered not only a labor leader but the leader of a larger movement for Latino civil rights in the Southwest and throughout the country.
Saturday will mark his 85th birthday, and Arizona Week will use the occasion to focus on Latino progress in four key areas: politics, education, social issues and business/economics.
For a discussion of political progress, we will turn to Arizona Rep. Catherine Miranda, a Democrat who represents District 16 in southwestern Phoenix.
We are seeking interviews with representatives of education, social issues and business/economics, and we will provide an array of data and statistics about Latino demographics in Arizona.
Republican Congressional candidate Martha McSally launched a TV ad this weekend, introducing herself to voters and joining some of her opponents on the airwaves.
She focuses on her military leadership experience, saying she now wants to continue her service to the country in Congress.
The other Republicans competing for the CD8 special primary election are also on the air. Frank Antenori has a radio spot. Dave Sitton and Jesse Kelly are also airing television ads.
Kelly’s ad is the first to hit the TV screens in the CD 8 special election. Kelly ran for the same seat nearly two years ago so he is a familiar name to many voters in the district.
The ad shows Kelly meeting with supporters and sitting around a table with his family. It also highlights what he sees as the major issues in the campaign.
The race for Arizona’s open US Senate seat is on the air early. Last week, Cardon launched his first TV spot and seven days later he is on the radio.
The spot highlights Cardon as a Washington outsider with a “Tea Party streak”. Like the television ad, the radio spot also puts Cardon in the position of “jobs creator.”
Dave Sitton, Martha McSally and Jesse Kelly are on step two of the National Republican Congressional Campaign's four-step schedule to earn support from the party.
The NRCC's "Young Guns" program requires candidates to meet four benchmarks to prove their candidacy. Sitton, McSally and Kelly have moved from the first stage, "Contender" status, to "On The Radar." The program requires campaigns to meet goals for fundraising and campaigning to move through each step.
Frank Antenori, the fourth Republican in the race for the open seat, is not in the "Young Guns" program, according to an online list of participating candidates in the 2012 election cycle.
