The 'Carlos Quero phenomenon': Vox's formula to capture the working-class vote

BarcelonaCarlos Hernández Quero is one of the most talked-about names in Spanish politics in recent weeks. The congressman, who has championed housing as a key issue for Vox, has generated a media and political phenomenon since his appointment as deputy spokesperson in Congress. replacing Javier Ortega Smithand has highlighted Vox's renewed direction. A close confidant of Santiago Abascal, he is the far-right party's key figure.soaring in the polls, nearing 19% of the vote—because of his housing discourse with a social tone that champions the Spain of homeowners with "green awnings." It is a further step in capturing the working-class vote in socialist strongholds, with an intensive application in CataloniaIn a conversation with ARA, Hernández Quero asserts that he joined Vox when he saw "the middle class and neighborhoods breaking down": "Why are there people who used to vote for the French Communist Party and now vote for Marine Le Pen?" he asks, trying to explain Vox's penetration of the working-class electorate. He answers himself: "Because people are asking for the protection that the left used to offer them, which now looks down on them," he concludes.

With a decade of academic experience in a research group at the Complutense University, he joined Vox in 2021 writing speeches—he was "comfortable developing the ideas and letting someone else be the face of them." He was one of the speechwriters He was a regular member of parliament, but in 2023 he became a deputy, spurred on by the party leader himself, at a time when he was asked to leave the research group—something he has always regretted. With a youthful appearance, even sporting an earring, the ERC leader in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, recently warned from the podium that "he says things that sound good" and that "he seems like he's from the PSOE," highlighting Vox's strategy to capture left-wing votes.

He follows the same pattern as the phenomenon seen in France and the US among the "losers of globalization." Quero speaks out similarly to Catalonia, where Vox denounces that the PSC "has abandoned the working class": "The PSOE promised a decent life, but now a kid from Nou Barris can't afford a home," he exclaims.

The cultural battle over housing

Quero is challenging the hegemony on the issue of housing, the primary concern for citizens according to the CIS (Spanish Center for Sociological Research), a topic Pedro Sánchez wants to prioritize. The deputy spokesperson argues that "it has deteriorated to the point of becoming the main crisis affecting everyone because access to housing is a pipe dream." He thus has in mind current data and the solutions to the housing crises of the last century, from 1920 to 1960 during the Franco regime. His diagnosis extends to the anthropological field due to the consequences of "not being able to be self-sufficient, not being able to put down roots and have children." This approach differs from Ortega Smith's. He is clear that "the electorate doesn't have to share the classic dogmas of conservatism"—or the far right—because housing "affects the social majority." He adds that "there is a frustration of expectations among those who were born into a home of their own, but find themselves facing precariousness and cannot access housing."

And what is his solution? This is where he introduces his anti-immigration rhetoric, which he calls the "demographic change" variant, citing a record population of 49.4 million, 9.8 million of whom were born abroad. According to him, "not enough is being built, housing regulations have taken apartments off the market and turned them to the tourist sector, and Spain has changed demographically," which "is putting pressure on prices." In contrast to Vox's previous discourse, he also mentions wealthy individuals, such as those of South American origin: "People with high purchasing power are coming from abroad—he mentions the Little Caracas in Madrid—who account for 20% of purchases, the rental market is collapsing, and people with very low incomes are coming in and needing to come." The solution he proposes is to expand the available land, simplify construction barriers, and boost public housing. He also incorporates into his housing discourse a way to rehabilitate Franco's policies in this area, an idealized version of his administration's policies. He believes it's necessary to "increase the supply" and that subsidized housing should be for Spaniards. Thus, he advocates that "Spaniards shouldn't pay taxes" on their first home and a "special tax" on foreign purchases to help finance housing policies. In other words, despite having a seemingly socially conscious narrative, the solutions he proposes are lower taxes and typical right-wing policies. A lifelong political enthusiast and the son of a history teacher, Hernández Quero is leading Vox's battle on a crucial issue.