Latino Voters in the 2008 Presidential Election

Aimee Sobhani, Politics

Without a doubt, Latino voters will be deciding the 2008 Presidential election so the fact that The Economist reports that they are shying away from John McCain can only mean good things for Barack Obama and the Democratic Party.

Historically, the Democratic Party has done well with minorities so it may not seem like a big deal that Obama has the support of the Latinos. Thanks to their strong Catholic roots, Latinos tend to be more conservative on social issues, meaning that they may be apprehensive to vote for liberal Democrats like Obama. However, Latinos do not approve of the conservative position on immigration, which is perhaps the most important issue to them. Thus, neither party really has the right to believe that they have Latino voters "in the bag."

However, Democrats definitely have a chance of winning a large majority of the Latino vote. Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico, ex-Presidential candidate, and prominent Hispanic politician, endorsed Obama once his try for the nomination ended. Obviously, Latinos aren't going to automatically vote for Obama because Richardson wants them too, but his endorsement definitely doesn't hurt. Richardson's support is particularly important in this race, especially given the racial animosity between blacks and Hispanics.

Hispanics have the potential to be politically potent. They make up a majority of voters in many voting districts in the Southwest. Though many may not be registered to vote, multiple radio campaigns are encouraging Hispanics to get involved in the political process. With the last couple of elections being very close, a small number of voters will decide this year's election, and those voters could very well be Hispanic.