ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the factors that contributed to the optimism of Latino leaders and political observers for significant Texas Latino advances in the 1992 elections. It analyzes the process and outcomes of specific elections, including the presidential contest, the statewide races, and other salient congressional and state legislative races. For each election except the state legislative contests, the chapter discusses the primary campaign and then the general election. It synthesizes these findings in an effort to examine why Latinos did not meet the expectations they set for themselves and that others set for them. There were two viable Latino candidates for statewide office in the 1992 primary contests. Pete Benavides sought to secure his place on the state's highest criminal court—the Court of Criminal Appeals. Lena Guerrero was seeking a full term on the powerful three-member Railroad Commission, which regulates oil, gas, and transportation.
