On Tuesday 31, the leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus campaign endorsed Patrick Branco, a Hawaii state legislator who aims to become the first Latino in the state to be elected to Congress. Branco is a descendant of Puerto Rican migrants to Hawaii on both sides and also has native Hawaiian, Filipino and Chinese origins.

The Bold PAC Democrat endorsement comes as Branco is running in the Democratic primary against former state senator Jill Tokuda. Honolulu Councilman Tommy Waters also applied for the seat but dropped out in May to remain on the city council.

The Caucus PAC's endorsement could leverage other donations and political influence for the Democratic candidate, as the organization has won some victories in supporting other candidates in the current election cycle.

According to The Hill publication, the current congressional chair or Representative Kai Kahele has ususally been critical of being unwilling to make a long presence in Hawaii and Washington to establish his political presence on a stable basis. In this sense, Branco declared that “whoever gets this seat needs to make sure they are committed to stay there for the long term and bring the resources Hawaii needs to develop”.

Bold PAC Chairman Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said in a statement, “whether as a Diplomat in the US Foreign Service or as a State Representative, Patrick has dedicated his life to serving Hawai’i and our country. In Congress, Patrick will help bring down Hawai’i’s ever-rising cost of living by bringing good paying jobs to the state, and secure the federal support needed to strengthen Hawai’i’s rural areas and agricultural sector”.

Branco said Hawaii needs long-term representation particularly to move forward large infrastructure projects, a major challenge for a 1,500-mile-long archipelago.

He told The Hill he grew up very in touch with his Hawaiian roots, but through the foreign service he improved his Spanish and reconnected with his Hispanic side. Branco also said he would look forward to working in Congress to modernize Puerto Rico’s territorial status.

“As a Puerto Rican but also a native Hawaiian, I have a unique perspective on this. When Hawaii was a territory, we were treated as second-class citizens”.