Candidates Pushing Hard for the Latino Vote

"The Latino community holds this election in its hands," Barack Obama said. (By Jae C. Hong -- Associated Press)

McCain's first televised ad in the general election -- named after his military identification number 624787 -- featured a Spanish-language narrator who testified to his courage as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

The commercial, which ran in New Mexico, featured archival footage of McCain -- with much of his body wrapped in a cast -- being interviewed by a captor. The campaign has run several other ads in which McCain praises Latinos for having entrepreneurial spirit and for being willing to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan with only green cards. During one of his speeches, the camera pans to Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), an opponent of illegal immigration, who looks on sulkily as McCain extols Hispanics' contributions to U.S. society.

"I want you the next time you're down in Washington, D.C., to go to the Vietnam War Memorial and look at the names engraved in black granite. You'll find a whole lot of Hispanic names," McCain says in a new spot airing in Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. "When you go to Iraq or Afghanistan today, you're going to see a whole lot of people who are of Hispanic background."

The campaign has directed its appeals to Latinos to reflect that its members span the political spectrum. A radio ad running in Florida woos conservative Cubans with a testimonial from a former prisoner of Fidel Castro, and a Nevada radio commercial features an announcer who notes that when Latinos go shopping in the supermarket or fill up their gas tank, "We're not Republicans, Democrats or independents -- we're Hispanics, and we're suffering together in these uncertain economic times. We need someone with a good economic plan. This someone is John McCain."

This week, McCain is to embark on a one-week "opportunity" tour in which he will talk about "bolstering the opportunities across the country for people of all constituencies," an aide said. He will conduct several interviews with Hispanic media outlets, and he will have breakfast Tuesday with Latino small-business owners in Albuquerque.

But McCain's aides remain frustrated that his work on immigration has not translated to greater popularity among Latinos. Conservative media outlets and pundits sharply criticized McCain for the immigration bill he co-authored with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.).

But McCain's decision to "secure our borders first" before pushing for comprehensive immigration-law change, a position he adopted after coming under fire from fellow Republicans during the primaries, has alienated some Hispanics.

Obama also has touted his work on last year's immigration bill: Although not a key player like McCain, he participated in the process.

Eilperin reported from Seattle. Staff writer Dan Balz in Washington contributed to this report.