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Clinton And Obama Woo Hispanic Voters

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By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JENNIFER STEINHAUER, The New York Times

Published: January 15, 2008

LAS VEGAS - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has eaten beef tacos in East Los Angeles and sat on the living room couch of a working-class family in a largely Hispanic neighborhood here for 30 televised minutes.

At a rally of the culinary workers' union in the shadows of the Strip the other night, Sen. Barack Obama pumped his fist in the air and chanted with the crowd, "Si, se puede; si, se puede; si, se puede!" or, "Yes, we can!"

As the Democratic candidates have moved from courting the overwhelmingly white voters of Iowa and New Hampshire to an expanse of 25 contests facing them in the next few weeks, they confront an electorate that is increasingly Hispanic, in Nevada, California, New York and Florida.

Although the two candidates aggressively court those voters, who could be vital for Democrats this year and for years to come, the challenge is especially complex for Obama. It arises as race continues to confound Clinton and Obama in this contest.

Obama confronts a history of often uneasy and competitive relations between blacks and Hispanics, particularly as they have jockeyed for influence in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

"Many Latinos are not ready for a person of color," Natasha Carrillo, 20, of East Los Angeles, said. "I don't think many Latinos will vote for Obama.

"There's always been tension in the black and Latino communities. There's still that strong ethnic division. I helped organize citizenship drives, and those who I've talked to support Clinton."

Clinton's circle of advisers includes New Yorkers steeped in that history of tensions. On her first trip after her victory in New Hampshire, Clinton flew here, where she was escorted on a tour by prominent Hispanic leaders, including Henry G. Cisneros, a former secretary of housing and urban development, on what was billed the "Juntos con Hillary, una Vida Mejor" tour.

From here, she flew to a Mexican-American enclave, East Los Angles, to eat at King Taco, ordered in Spanish by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has emerged as an important supporter.

In Chicago, Obama was successful in rallying Hispanics to his side and bridging differences between them and black voters. His success at doing that again is going to be critical in the weeks ahead.

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