Melisa López-Franzen, formerly a state senator for Minnesota, had her eye on the U.S. Senate seat for her state.
López-Franzen has ended her Senate run, but her candidacy — and her previous public service — nevertheless show the increasing influence of Puerto Ricans in the political life throughout the United States.
López-Franzen grew up and was educated in Puerto Rico and moved to Minnesota as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota. While there have been and currently are a number of Members of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rican heritage, López-Franzen would have been the first Puerto Rican U.S. senator.
The U.S. Senate
The Senate, even more than the House, is known for its lack of ethnic diversity when compared with the U.S. population at large. The current (119th) Senate is the most diverse on record, with 16 senators who identify as members of ethnic minorities. This is higher than the 12 such senators in the previous (118th) Senate, which was at that time the most ethnically diverse ever. However, the proportions of various ethnic groups are much lower than the proportions of the U.S. population as a whole. For example, while Latinos make up more than 19% of the U.S. population, only 7% of the senators are Hispanic.
Each state has two senators, regardless of the population. That means that small, mostly white non-Hispanic states like Wyoming have just as many senators as large, diverse states like California and Texas. This is intended to make sure that more populous states do not automatically have more influence than small states. It also means that voters in sparsely populated or small states have a disproportionate level of influence in the Senate.
Melisa López-Franzen
Melisa López-Franzen served as Minnesota state senator, as the head of her own public relations firm, and as executive director of Government and Community Relations for the University of Minnesota.
In her announcement of the end of her Senate run, she emphasized the main talking points of her campaign, saying that she still intends to work for them:
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Making health care accessible for all.
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Investing in public education at every level.
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Tackling the housing crisis with real, bold solutions.
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Ensuring immigrant families are respected and protected.
“This is not about stepping back — it’s about stepping with intention into the space where I can have the greatest impact,” she said. “The work continues — just through a different path.”
Puerto Rican influence
Over the past decade, the political influence of the Puerto Rican community in the states has increased significantly. Puerto Rican voters have been major players in recent presidential elections, even though U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico still do not have the power to vote in those elections. Puerto Rican elected officials at every level of government except the presidency can now be found. Will the increasing influence persuade Congress to take action on Puerto Rico’s political status? It remains to be seen.
