WSJ: Why Am I the Wrong Kind of Hispanic?

The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed from State Senator Nikki Torres (LD15 – Yakima) about how racial gerrymandering has become a purely partisan matter in our state:

So while Hispanic voters chose me, I wasn’t the right kind of Hispanic according to Democrats. Why not? My parents were both born in Mexico. They met in America and wanted their kids to achieve the American dream. We worked hard as a family picking eastern Washington crops: cherries, apples, plums, grapes. I unexpectedly became a single mother at 16. But I worked hard to get my GED. I then became the first in my family to earn a college degree, and then an M.B.A.

So, why wasn’t I the right kind of Hispanic for Democrats? Because I am a Republican. Democrats in Washington didn’t use race in redistricting to help our community. They used race to help themselves.