UM: Race & Politics

The New York Times reports on the issue of race and politics, in the context of the Nevada U.S. Senate race. Sharon Angle, the Republican candidate, commented to a group of Latino students, “some of you look a little more Asian to me.” At the time, students were asking Angle if Latinos had appeared in her advertisement condemning illegal immigration – Angle appeared to be distancing herself from the ad’s message. But Nicholas Valentino, a UM associate professor in political science and communication studies, weighed in with a different view on the ad: “It is difficult for anyone who studies political advertisements to say that those images weren’t chosen specifically to activate thoughts about Latinos. The visual reference is clearly sending information that is very potent.” [Source]