February 05, 2008

¡Martes Gigante!

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are dueling for the coveted Latino vote in California, Arizona, Illinois and New Jersey. Though Clinton was viewed as having cornered this demographic, Obama's late-breaking sweep of support following his South Carolina primary victory could net him a significant portion of the Latino vote.

Carin Zissis of the New York-based Americas Society/Council of the Americas breaks down where these voters might go today.

While Clinton has about a 2-to-1 advantage among Latinos in the big-prize state of California, Obama won the backing of L.A.-based La Opinión, "the largest Spanish-language daily in the United States."

Despite appearances of a strong Clinton advantage, Obama has delivered stiff challenges in California, New Jersey and Clinton's home state of New York. Some analysts believe Obama's recent overtures to Latinos in those states could help put him over. And there's this doozy: Obama's support among Latinos in swing states gives him an Electoral College advantage, according to author Louis Nevaer.

Despite the promise of President Bush's early years in office, the Latino vote belongs decisively in the Democratic camp. Exit polling shows that John McCain has the advantage among the 23 percent of Latinos who consider themselves Republican.

Click here to read Zissis' full analysis. And National Journal's Richard Cohen has more on the role of the Hispanic vote in today's nominating contests.

Posted at 4:05 PM
Posted to: Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain, President Bush, Republicans, WH 2008
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