Oral History Interview with Andrew Hernandez, June 8, 2016

Mr. Hernandez was raised in San Antonio, spending most of his formative years in the east side. While young, he became involved in local politics, working for several high profile campaigns, including State Senator Joe Bernal. He studied political science in Trinity University; at a very young age, he was offered the opportunity to work as the first Research Director for SVREP. He collected data and worked with MALDEF and SVREP attorneys to combat voting discrimination in Texas. In 1980, he ran Ted Kennedy's presidential campaign in the southwest. After the death of Willie Velasquez, he took the reins of SVREP. He returned to partisan politics later on, working with the Democratic Party. In addition to his account of his work in San Antonio politics and SVREP, Mr. Hernandez talks about the Mexican American and the broader "Latino/a" vote and the role of these constituencies in national electoral politics.