Originally Published in The Dallas Morning News
Seventeen million strong, Hispanics have become a critical voting bloc for national and local races.
And as the contest between Barack Obama and John McCain tightens, the campaign to woo these voters is raging like never before.
For Democrats, who have historically enjoyed the lion’s share of Hispanic support, keeping those voters is more critical, and trickier, for November.
Polls show Barack Obama leads John McCain with Hispanic voters, including those in key battleground states in the southwest.
But the lingering bruise felt by Hillary Rodham Clinton supporters have some Democrats worried that the New York senator’s Hispanic supporters will either stay home or vote for Mr. McCain.
What’s more, Mr. McCain, who hails from Arizona, has aggressively courted Hispanic voters and gained points with them when he co-sponsored a bill that included a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Even so, Los Angles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, one of Mrs. Clinton’s national campaign co-chairs, said Mr. Obama was still poised to win over Hispanics.
“The overwhelming support Latinos gave to Hillary Clinton was a vote for Hillary Clinton and not a vote against Barack Obama,” Mr. Villaraigosa told The Dallas Morning News. “In three national polls, Barack Obama is leading McCain by an average of 35 points, so Latinos are getting behind Barack Obama.”
But Mr. Villaraigosa said there was still work to be done.
“Our job is to make sure we increase that margin and increase the number of voters who turn out,” he said. “If they vote in the 70th percentile, Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States.”
But some Hispanic voters want to hear more from Mr. Obama.
“It would definitely help if Obama reached out to our communities and if the Hispanic leadership brought him with them and stood by him,” said Dolly Elizondo, chairwoman of the Hidalgo County Democratic Party. “There are people who still want to hear it from Hillary Clinton. Then they need to hear from Obama.”
Mrs. Clinton addressed the Hispanic Caucus on Monday and urged delegates to strongly support Mr. Obama.
Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee is ramping up its Hispanic outreach. Officials have announced that they will spend $20 million to register Hispanic voters and lure them to the polls in several southwestern states and Florida. That’s on top of Mr. Obama’s Hispanic outreach.
At the Democratic convention, there were plenty of workshops, luncheons and parties where Hispanic voters reflected on their growing influence.
A report released at the convention predicts Hispanic voters could generate 46 electoral votes. About 9.2 million Hispanics are expected to vote, up 20 percent from 2004.
“This election demonstrates that Latino voters have become a permanent element of the political landscape,” said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials. “You don’t need the majority of the vote. You just need a significant share.”
The mobilization for Hispanic voters could pay dividends for down-ballot candidates.
In Texas, state Rep. Rick Noriega is hoping for a big Hispanic turnout to boost his chances against incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.
Locally, Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez wants to head off Republican challenger Lowell Cannaday with an increased Hispanic turnout.
“We saw what aggressive campaigning in the Latino community could produce this spring,” said state Rep. Roberto Alonzo, D-Dallas. “If it continues through November, Texas Democrats could be in for something big.”
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