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Latino Voters Key In Florida's Presidential Race

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The Associated Press

Published: October 8, 2008

With supporters of Barack Obama and John McCain fighting for every voter this campaign, naturalized citizens of Hispanic descent are a growing target - particularly in swing states such as Florida, where Hispanics make up 11 to 14 percent of the people who go to the polls.

At citizenship ceremonies nationwide, volunteers from the Democratic and Republican parties are swooping down on the new citizens, competing to sign them up to vote.

"In places where the election is very close, they make all the difference in the world," said Jeffrey Passel, the senior demographer for the nonprofit Pew Hispanic Center.

DEMOCRATIC EFFORTS: Obama campaign spokesman Federico de Jesus said the Democratic presidential candidate is devoting more money to bilingual advertising than any previous campaign, and spending roughly $20 million on Hispanic outreach, including voter registration efforts.

REPUBLICAN EFFORTS: Ana Navaro, McCain's adviser on Hispanic affairs, said Republicans aren't investing the same amount of money as Democrats on registering new citizens.

She also allows that the party lost support among new Hispanic citizens because of some Republican lawmakers' remarks during a recent congressional debate over proposed immigration reforms.

However, the McCain campaign is using Spanish-language ads to try to convince Hispanics that he was on their side of that fight, Navaro said.

SO, WHO'S WINNING?: Overall, the Hispanic vote seems to be coalescing behind the Democrats.

Hispanic registered voters supported Obama over McCain by a 66 percent to 23 percent margin in a nationwide survey conducted by the Pew center in June and July.

However, recent polls show McCain ahead among Florida Hispanics overall.

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