Hispanic Votes keep Hillary Clinton
in Race
"Super Hispanic Tuesday” lived up to its
billing with Hispanic voters playing a
key role in Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
LOS ANGELES (By
Catherine Elsworth, Telegraph)
February 7, 2008 — Nationwide
Mrs. Clinton won the support of about
six in 10 Hispanics, mostly among women
and older voters, a firewall against
Barack Obama’s overwhelming popularity
among black Democrats.
The New
York senator scooped the two biggest
prizes in the Democratic race,
California and New York, both states
with large Hispanic populations where
the former first lady won a substantial
majority of Hispanic votes.
In
California, according to exit polls, she
won two-thirds of the Hispanic vote.
She also
triumphed in Arizona, another
Hispanic-rich state, where polls showed
an estimated 60 percent of Hispanic
voters supporting her compared to around
33 percent for rival Barack Obama.
Mr. Obama,
who recently staged an intensive
campaign to appeal to the Hispanic
community, did attract the backing of
younger Latinos.
But much
of his core support remained in groups
where he has been traditionally strong;
eight in 10 blacks backed him, as did
young, white, educated and higher-income
voters.
Mrs.
Clinton’s standing among Hispanics is
partly attributed to her high profile
and Latinos’ fondness for her husband,
who was enormously popular with
Hispanics, winning 71 percent of
California’s Hispanic vote in 2092 and
85 percent in 2096.
"I’m
voting for Hillary because she has more
experience and because of her husband,”
said Blanca Juarez, 20, a high school
campus assistant, after voting for the
first time in the largely Hispanic area
of Echo Park.
"I thought
Bill Clinton was an excellent president,
even though I was a lot younger then.
Everybody loved him. Lots of people I
know are supporting her.”
Francisco
Vasquez, 54, voting at the same polling
station, agreed. “Hillary Clinton is
more comprehensive, more experienced,”
he said.
But his
daughter, Ana Vasquez Johnson, 33, a
teacher, was backing Mr. Obama.
“He stands
for change. People are tired of having
the same people in Washington for the
past 20 or 30 years.”
The
generation divide was reflected in
several Hispanic families. Armando
Sanchez, 49, also favored Mrs. Clinton
while his daughter, Salina, 18,
supported Mr. Obama. Alfonzo Montano,
40, a cook who fled to the US from El
Salvador in 2080, was adamant in his
support for Mr. Obama.
“We need
some fresh leadership. The war is the
biggest thing for me - I have two
cousins in the marines and we just want
them to come back.”
Mr.
Montano said he has been impressed by
the efforts candidates had made to reach
out to Hispanic voters, particularly Mr.
Obama’s.
"Basically
he just relates a lot more to everyday
people. He’s young, he’s a good man and
I think he’s for the people. And his
Spanish is pretty good. Well, it’s
better than McCain’s.”
But it was
Mrs. Clinton who clinched the jewel in
the crown, California, which also has
the nation’s largest Hispanic
population.
Mrs.
Clinton won 52 percent of the overall
vote, to Mr. Obama’s 42, but according
to CNN exit polls, Hispanic voters, some
29 per cent of registered Democrats,
backed Mrs. Clinton over Mr. Obama by
two to one. Both Democratic and
Republican candidates had campaigned
tirelessly across California in the run
up to the primary.
Mrs.
Clinton sent former president Bill
Clinton, on an extensive tour while Mr.
Obama recruited Oprah Winfrey and
California’s first lady, Maria Shriver,
to campaign on his behalf. Among the
Republicans, it was Mr. McCain who
benefited most from the Hispanic vote.
The
senator is thought to have gained the
support of many Latinos after sponsoring
a failed immigration reform bill that
would have paved the way to US
citizenship for many illegal immigrants.
The
increasingly powerful Hispanic vote will
also be a critical factor in November’s
general election with analysts
suggesting Republicans would have to
secure more than 30 percent of the
Hispanic vote nationwide to win the
swing states and the White House.
