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Latinos are natural optimists, convinced that it's OK if today isn't great because tomorrow can always be better. And the 4% of Latinos of Cuban descent know an absurd comparison when they hear one.

Latinos are also different from one another. We're not a monolithic "bloc," and we never have been. We're divided by age, income, education level and country of origin. We lock horns over whether we're rural vs. urban, white collar vs. blue collar, partisan vs. independent or immigrant vs. native. Some of us identify with Mexico or Puerto Rico or El Salvador, while others consider ourselves first and foremost Americans. And in this election, some of us want the kind of complete socioeconomic transformation that Sanders promises, while others just want to send Donald Trump into retirement.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., gave Sanders the blessing early on in this campaign and christened him "Tío Bernie." It was clever branding. Latinos expect their uncles to be a little loco, but we love them anyway.

The Sanders campaign was also pretty smart. Throughout the Southwest, it spent its money not only on TV ads but also on setting up an effective and well-organized ground game. In Nevada, the Sanderistas marched in six months before the caucuses and sent volunteers to knock on doors in Latino neighborhoods.

The direct marketing approach paid off. According to entrance polls in the Silver State, Sanders won 51% of the Latino vote. And the duel in the desert was just a warmup to Super Tuesday.

This election year, Latino voters are the engine powering The Bernie Express. That may not be easy to understand, but it's impossible to deny.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com. His daily podcast, "Navarrette Nation," is available through every podcast app.

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