VIDEO: One on one with Carolina Serrano, the toughest Republican Latina in the West

It’s no secret that the Latino voters are steadily moving towards the political right, but in recent months, a growing number of Latina women have entered the Congressional race under the banner of the GOP.  

ADN America recently spoke with Carolina Serrano, a Colombian-American Republican woman running to represent Nevada’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives in Nevada’s June 14 Republican primary (for the full interview on video see below). 

ADN America goes one on one with the toughest Republican Latina in the West https://t.co/HxDXXPf9td

— ADN America (@AmericaAdn) May 3, 2022

Throughout the exclusive interview, Serrano spoke with ADN America about issues ranging from inflation to key voter issues within the Latino community.

When asked why she chose to run as a Republican, the candidate said that she was first inspired by former President Donald Trump’s 2016 electoral victory. After leading Latinos for Trump efforts in Nevada in 2020, however, she realized there were no candidates in the field that impressed her.  

“There were a lot of candidates that came through my office, and I just wasn't impressed with what I was seeing. So, I decided 'you know what, I'm a fed-up American and I want to try to do something about it.’”

While on the campaign trail, Serrano said she learned a lot about voters, adding that “for the most part, there are main issues that everybody wants to see addressed across the country.”

“I found that more than half of the country does not vote. Although people like to say that Nevada is a blue state, I would argue that it’s not – it’s actually much more conservative,” she said.

“The problem is that a lot of people just don't engage. And that's really the big scale problem that we have in the country, people are not engaging. I say, you can’t complain about the situation if you’re not even engaging. If you’re not using your own power to participate, you’re going to get the results we’re seeing now.”

When asked about the role Latina women are currently playing within the Republican party, Serrano said “I think Hispanic women are finally stepping up to the plate.”

Recent developments in Congressional races in South Texas confirm her point.

Nevertheless, Serrano worries that President Biden’s policies are hurting immigrants and those who wish to come to this country legally, warning that “as long as we have an open border, nobody’s papers will be fixed.”

“Biden essentially has signaled to the world that the US is not going to enforce its laws. We have some really good laws on the books and if you empower our border authorities, we could get things under control,” she said.

Speaking about her time along the U.S.-Mexico border, however, she warns that things are out of control.

“It’s the most devastating thing that the Biden administration is complicit in this and that everybody is turning a blind eye to what’s happening at the Southern Border.”

Ultimately, the California-born Republican believes that Latino voters want the same thing as every other American: a strong economy, good schools and a safe place to call home.

“Many of us start out voting as Democrats because we aren’t well informed. Personally, I thought that was the party for working and middle class families. But then I started to see how families were being torn apart by the Democratic party and changed course,” she said.

“It's family, its economics, and anybody who comes from Latin America can tell you that they come here seeking a place where you have a safe community, where you can send your kid to school and feel comfortable.”