Democrats maneuver to win Hispanic votes
Some states have moved up their presidential primaries. A key issue is immigration.

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Jun. 09, 2007

WASHINGTON | Helped by the fight over immigration, Democrats seeking their party’s presidential nomination are moving to court Hispanic voters like never before.

Early primary states with sizable Hispanic voting blocs are prompting candidates to hire outreach consultants, start Spanish-language Web sites and campaign vigorously before Hispanic audiences.

The battle for Hispanic voters is a result of the decision by several states with large Hispanic populations to move their primaries to early 2008, including California, Florida and New York. About two-thirds of America’s Hispanic residents live in nine of the states that will hold Democratic primaries or caucuses on or before Feb. 5.

The influence of Hispanic voters is likely to be amplified because of an intense response in many Hispanic communities to immigration policy, strategists say. Conservative Republicans, with the help of some left-leaning Democrats, derailedan immigration bill in the Senate on Thursday that would have provided a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

In the 2004 presidential election, Hispanic voters accounted for a significant part of the overall Democratic-primary electorate in California (16 percent), New York (11 percent), Arizona (17 percent) and Florida (9 percent), all states that will hold primaries by Feb 5.

Recent New York Times/CBS News polls show that about 60 percent of registered Hispanic voters who identify themselves as Democrats have a favorable view of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a New York Democrat, while a quarter do not.

The only Hispanic candidate, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, is working to build a base and establish a political identity nationwide.