Democrats Recapture Part of Hispanic Vote

Many Hispanics were angered by the hard line some Republicans took on the illegal immigration debate, and it showed at the polls.

"Latinos are no different than anybody else; they don't want to be used," said Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif., outgoing chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

The outgoing Republican National Committee Chairman, Ken Mehlman, said there isn't unanimity on the immigration issue within his party. He noted that Bush supported an immigration bill that would have provided an eventual path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants.

Mehlman worked hard to reach out to Hispanic and black voters during his tenure as party chairman. His successor, Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, was born in Cuba and is expected to continue the effort.

Immigration is a big issue among Hispanics in the United States, but it's not the only one of importance. When Latinos were asked in a recent survey to name the most important problem facing the country, more said the war in Iraq and the economy than illegal immigration.

However, when asked about the most important problem facing the Latino community, far more said illegal immigration than any other issue. The survey, called the 2006 National Latino Survey, was conducted over nine months by a team of university professors from across the country.

"To a degree, Latinos understand the challenges in American society in ways very consistent with the way the majority of Americans understand them," said Luis R. Fraga, a political scientist at Stanford University who worked on the survey. "At the same time they understand the unique position they hold and the unique challenges they face."

Latinos tend to be more conservative than most Democrats on social issues, such as abortion and gay marriage, according to the survey. Education and economic issues are also important _ as they are for most voters. But they can carry extra weight for Hispanics because they tend to have lower incomes and lower education levels than non-Hispanic whites.

"There is a phrase, the 'aspiration agenda,'" Fraga said. "It appeals to Latino voters by focusing on their aspirations to move ahead in American society."

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On The Net:

The Latino National Survey: http://depts.washington.edu/uwiser/LNS.shtml

Latinos and the 2006 Midterm Election: http://pewhispanic.org/factsheets/factsheet.php?FactsheetID26