Abstract
An oral history with Rosario Marín, a prominent Republican Latina in California. This interview is part of the Women, Politics, and Activism Oral History Project. The purpose of this interview was to learn more about Marin’s time in local and national politics. Marín was a former member of the Huntington Park City Council and the city’s first Hispanic mayor. She then served under California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and notably, served as the Treasurer of the United States under President George W. Bush. Specifically, the interview discusses the political transformation of the California Republican Party from the 1990s to present, particularly from a Latina’s perspective; recalls highlights from her life, starting with humble beginnings in Mexico City to her swearing-in as the 41st Treasurer of the United States; remembers her campaign for city council and her success in transforming Huntington Park; talks about the challenges of California Proposition 187 and its controversial ads; shares her participation in the campaigns of Pete Wilson and George W. Bush; reiterates her immense respect for George W. Bush and what it meant to work for him; recollects the challenges of being wife, mother, and politician; speaks about Eric, her son with Down’s Syndrome, which led to her dedicated advocacy for the mentally-challenged; describes running for U.S. Senate in 2004 [to challenge incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer] only to have the California Republican Party choose a male candidate instead; discusses her position and working in the Schwarzenegger Administration; provides her opinions on President Donald Trump, particularly the comment he made that led Marín to endorse Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
