In search of Hispanic vote

Timothy Pratt and J. Patrick Coolican

Monday, June 5, 2006 | 7:17 a.m.

Gubernatorial candidate Jim Gibson's Democratic primary campaign is gaining strong support from Nevada Hispanics, whose political involvement, driven largely by federal immigration reform, is expected to spike on election day.

Gibson has a grass-roots organization that has staged rallies and registered new voters, and several of its active members are talk show hosts on Spanish-language radio, a deeply influential medium in the Hispanic community.

Unlike his Democratic opponent, state Sen. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, Gibson has bought air time on Spanish language radio and has hired a full-time Hispanic outreach coordinator.

In what may be the most telling show of the Henderson mayor's reach in the Hispanic community, several songs in Spanish that urge listeners to vote for Gibson are getting radio airplay - with a pumping accordion and the high-pitched voice typical of Mexican storytelling songs known as corridos. The songs are not paid advertisements.

Titus, who many local politically-active Hispanics have long considered an ally in the Legislature, has her own group - Nosotros con Dina. Members, including Chairwoman Alma Garcia Vining, conceded that the group hasn't been active yet. The group plans to hold rallies and voter registration events.

Although the primary is still 10 weeks away and neither side has any polls measuring Hispanic support, Gibson's early and broad reach into the Hispanic community could be pivotal. Analysts believe he needs a larger-than-usual turnout to offset the normal Democratic base, which is expected to side with his more liberal competitor.

Gibson could find that bigger turnout in the Hispanic community, which is particularly engaged this year due to the national immigration debate.

Asked why they back Gibson, his supporters mention three factors: he speaks their language, he has Mexican-American grandchildren, and he marched with them in favor of changing immigration laws. He has used his language skills at public events in the Hispanic community in recent months.

In sum: "He's with us," said Xavier Rivas, an active member of his grass-roots group, Amigos de Gibson.

Titus also speaks some Spanish, her campaign points out, and has appeared on Spanish-language radio with her husband, UNLV professor Tom Wright, who teaches Latin American history and speaks Spanish fluently.

Political scientists who study Hispanic voter behavior say Spanish language skills and family ties - even by marriage - can open doors for non-Hispanic politicians.

"Latino voters definitely prefer Latino candidates, but a second best is someone who understands their communities," said Melissa Michelson, political scientist at California State University, Hayward. "The fact that he speaks Spanish and has Mexican-American relatives, the message is - 'Here's someone who will understand our needs more than the average white politician.' "

Gibson said of Hispanics that he feels "a great deal of support from them and I'm sincere in my support for them," but is also "anxious that they not be seen as some political pawn."

Gibson learned his Spanish as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Peru in the late 1960s. He then served as an undergraduate Spanish teaching assistant while finishing his degree at Brigham Young University.

Gibson said he grew up with many Mexican-Americans in Henderson and has occasionally used his Spanish in his law practice.

Most who have heard Gibson speak Spanish - he was recently interviewed on a Spanish-language talk show on KRLV 1340-AM - say he speaks well.

Although understanding other cultures can make political inroads, Hispanic voters care about issues as much as other voters, analysts said.

"The symbolic connection is important, but you also need to talk about the issues," said Louis DeSipio, a political scientist who studies Hispanic voter behavior at the University of California at Irvine.

DeSipio noted the case of John Kerry: "His wife spoke Spanish, they were Catholic, but he never really spoke about issues they (Hispanics) cared about."

Rivas mentioned an issue that one sector of the Hispanic community cares about -- driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants. Gibson has been telling Hispanics that he supports the idea.

Titus said she prefers to wait on Congress and see if a guest worker program and a path to citizenship are passed. If so, she said she would support giving licenses to people in those programs.

Titus has been an ally on other issues important to Hispanics, such as education, job training and a crackdown on racial profiling, her supporters say.

"She's always championed issues that are important to us," said Antonio Gutierrez, a member of her grass-roots organization. He said the group hasn't been active yet, but will be as the campaign progresses.

That will be crucial for the Titus campaign. Some political scientists believe the national immigration debate will lead Hispanics to turn out in greater numbers this year than in past elections.

"They are mobilized, they are politicized and regardless of what comes out of Congress, what will stay is the Latino participation," Michelson said.

DeSipio was more circumspect, but he still expects higher Hispanic turnout than in the last mid-term, or nonpresidential, election of 2002.

He expects about 38 to 40 percent of Hispanic citizens to vote this year.

Ironically, Hispanic support for Gibson could wind up working for one of his opponents, Republican candidate Jim Gibbons. The similarity in their names could confuse voters for whom English is a second language.In fact, during Gibson's talk-show appearance on KRLV, the host mistakenly referred to the mayor as "Gibbons."