Blue Spot

Inspiring a Community: The Latino Vote Makes History by Laura Pena - blogHillary

Over the last several months, the country has watched incredible activism and turnout among Latino voters. It started with Hispanics returning to the Democratic Party and has ended up inspiring cross-generations of Latinos to engage in the Democratic presidential primary.

According to a recent report from the Pew Hispanic Center, Latinos’ share of the Democratic primary vote has risen in 16 of the 19 states that have held elections. This is the most striking in California and Texas. In California, Latino voters made up 30% of the turnout – a 14 point increase from 16% in 2004. And in Texas, Hispanic voters made up 32% of the turnout – an 8 point increase from 24% in 2004. Hillary won the Latino vote decisively in these states, 67 % and 66% respectively.

That's one of the amazing stories about this election. Hillary's candidacy is inspiring Latino families to mobilize and make their voices heard. Latinos know what's at stake in this election, and are standing with the candidate who will best advocate for their families in the White House. And this matters most for the general election, where Hillary receives overwhelming support among Hispanics. This includes key swing states such as Florida, where Hillary receives 67% to McCain's 30% (Survey USA).

Labels: Election 2008, Hillary, Latino community