Valerie Martinez-Ebers - Myths and realities of the Latino vote

Valerie Martinez-Ebers a professor of political science destroys the myths society has about   Latinos and voting, she writes:

The Democratic and Republican Parties featured high-profile Latino speakers at their recent conventions, reflecting the growing influence of Hispanic politicians and the parties' need to appeal to Hispanic voters. But what motivates those voters? There are countless misunderstandings about Latinos, their allegiances, and their interests, including: Latinos do not vote.

They do, and in increasing numbers. According to the Census Bureau, the number of Latino voters grew from less than four million in 1988 to 9.7 million in 2008. In 2012, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials expects at least 12.2 million Latinos to vote, representing 9 percent of the electorate.

Although only 55 percent of eligible Hispanics are registered to vote, about 70 percent of those registered consistently turn out. This November, the Latino vote will be pivotal in several battleground states, such as Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, and Virginia.

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20121009_Myths_and_realities_of_the_Latino_vote.html

Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuno addresses the 2012 Republican National Convention

Juntos Con Romney

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Jessica Puente Bradshaw, Winner!

By Paul Gable

Jessica Puente Bradshaw claimed the Republican Party nomination in U.S. House District 34 Tuesday night with a 55 percent to 45 percent victory over opponent Adela Garza in a primary runoff election.
Puente Bradshaw grabbed a quick lead in the early vote totals and built on her margin throughout the vote tallying to win by a 5,308 to 4,283 vote margin in the newly formed Congressional District.


“I am very grateful to my supporters, friends and my family,” Puente Bradshaw said. “They worked very hard. They put up with a lot of my demands insofar as getting voters out. I am very proud of them. It was a grass-roots movement.”


Throughout the primary campaign, Puente Bradshaw demonstrated her resiliency as a candidate. Beginning as a significant underdog, she came within 200 votes of Garza’s leading total in the first round of primary balloting.

http://southtexasdaily.com/puente-bradshaw-wins/

Romney could beat Obama, if he courts Hispanics

Recent polls show Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney closing the gap with rival President Obama. The November presidential election could be decided by a handful of states, some of which – Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico for instance – could swing with the Hispanic vote, considered a slam-dunk for the incumbent. 

Hispanics gave Obama two-thirds of their vote in 2008 and in a recent NBC/WSJ polls favored the president over Romney by a whopping 47 points.

However, if team Romney smartens up, the GOP hopeful could siphon off enough of the Latino vote to give him the win. Like everything else these days, it all depends on jobs.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/05/08/romney-could-beat-obama-if-courts-hispanics/#ixzz1uNawgHNT

Alberto Gonzales: Counting Hispanic Votes - A Mission For Converts

It is no secret that Governor Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, faces a challenge attracting Hispanic support in November's presidential election.  What is not so obvious is why a Republican candidate is having such a difficult time connecting with a group generally considered conservative on issues relating to faith, family, and country.


 After all, in part due to the policies of President Obama, Hispanic Americans suffer more than other groups from higher unemployment, falling household median income, and a rising poverty rate.  Hispanics are also unhappy with the President's deportation policies and his failure to honor his campaign pledge to them to push for immigration reform.


However, in spite of these circumstances, many polls show President Obama enjoys a significant double-digit level of support from Hispanics over Governor Romney.  Shared values and failed economic policies apparently are not enough to offset the inconsistent - sometimes half-hearted - attempts of the Republican Party to make Hispanics feel welcomed and supported.


Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2012/04/30/alberto-gonzales-counting-hispanic-votes-mission-for-converts/#ixzz1tiSBtPtl