Back to the March 2008 Newsletter

Sources

The Hispanic Pew Center Report

The New York Times

The Epoch Times

ABC News

In previous years, the number of Latinos participating in the presidential vote was minimal at best, but 2008 promises to be an upbeat year. Latinos total 15% of the U.S. population and are the fastest growing ethnic group. Political candidates have taken notice of this statistic and are making significant efforts to get Latino votes. In 2008, Latinos will consist of 9% of U.S. eligible voters according to a recent study by The Pew Hispanic Center. New Mexico, Florida, Colorado and Nevada are the four major states where Hispanics constitute a sizeable share of the electorate, making their voice essential to a swing vote. As a result, both democratic and republican candidates have adopted Hispanic issues of concern, adding these to the campaign forum.

"Regardless or origin, whether they are Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican or Salvadorian, everyone is looking at how the candidates are speaking about immigration," says Alma Morales Riojas, president and CEO of the previously named Mexican American National Association, MANA, but renamed in 1994 as a National Latina Organization to reflect the growing diversity of its members.

Latino loyalty-a main point during the primary battles between Obama and Clinton-brought doubt as to whether conflicts between Latinos and blacks would keep Latinos away from Obama. William Ramos, director of the Washington D.C. office of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials rejected this statement saying that, "It's an insult to say that Latinos will not vote for an African American. We've proven that we will cross party lines and vote for a white, black or Asian person. We will even vote against a Latino if that Latino is not meeting our expectations." Latinos have supported black candidates throughout the years all over the country; Mayors David Dinkins in New York, Harold Washington in Chicago, and Tom Bradley in Los Angeles are perfect examples of the Latino contribution to black candidates. Obama's campaign agreed, choosing to run commercials through Spanish-language channel Univision for Latino audiences leading up to his California showdown with Clinton.

The Pew Hispanic Center conducted a study to determine which political party Latinos most closely identified with. Results showed that 44% of Latinos cited a preference with the Democratic Party compared to 8% for the Republican Party. Latinos reasoned the choice in Democrats accounted to the perception that the party is more concerned with issues in their community. The Democratic Party made the mistake of taking the Latino vote for granted during past elections. Latinos vote for whoever brings the best interest, growth and well-being to the Latino community.

On the other hand, the views of Republican Party candidate John McCain are a stark contrast to Democratic momentum. McCain emphasizes securing the borders first before establishing a temporary worker program to eventually lead to citizenship for many illegal immigrants. He advocates the priority of securing the borders and laying plans for naturalization later. His comments have not been accepted cheerfully by many immigrants, instituting McCain's popularity to trail his Democratic counterparts on the topic of votes from immigrants.

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