Caucuses out to tap Hispanics’ critical mass

Michael J. Mishak

Thursday, April 26, 2007 | 7:02 a.m.

Every election in Nevada, the prediction is the same: Hispanic voters are a formidable force and this time, for the first time, they will turn out en masse.

Then, of course, they don't.

The same is now being said of the 2008 Nevada caucuses. Democratic presidential campaigns are trying to find a way to tap what could be a crucial constituency.

Nevada is nearly 24 percent Hispanic, up 4 percent from 2000, according to the most recent Census estimates. That growing population is one of the major reasons the Democratic National Committee awarded the state an early caucus, Jan. 19.

From the makeup of the presidential campaign staffs here to pledges of door-to-door, retail politics, candidates are going after the Hispanic vote.

Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York has named Raul Yzaguirre, former president of the National Council of La Raza, as campaign co-chairman and leader for Hispanic outreach. Clinton's Nevada campaign added about 20 Hispanic advisers, including prominent business owners, academics and activists.

Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina has hired as his Nevada political director Roberto Rodriguez, a former Capitol Hill staff member with extensive experience in Hispanic outreach.

Hispanics occupy most leading staff positions in the Nevada campaign of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the only Hispanic candidate in the race, and Richardson has met with small groups of Hispanics on his visits here.

Sen. Barack Obama is building an organization in Nevada that cuts across demographic groups, including Hispanics, said David Plouffe, Obama's national campaign manager.

About 11 percent of Clark County's registered voters, or 74,300 people, are Hispanic, according to a Clark County Election Department count of active voters with Spanish surnames.

"The number of Hispanic voters remains short of the potential of the vote by fairly considerable margins," said Harley Shaiken, chairman of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. "That said, at its current levels, it's a key group to reach, especially in a tightly fought primary."

Early indicators suggest that Clinton has a significant lead. A recent poll by the Democratic firm Lake Research Partners showed that Clinton was overwhelmingly favored by Hispanic voters - an advantage, it noted, due in no small part to the former first lady's name recognition.

The poll, conducted on behalf of the Latino Policy Coalition, does not bode well for Richardson. It found that a slight majority of the Latinos surveyed did not know that a Hispanic is among those running for president.

The Richardson campaign isn't concerned, said his Nevada spokesman, Josh McNeil. "As people find out about him and his record of support for the Hispanic community, we expect those numbers to turn around," McNeil said.

Clinton's Hispanic advisers in Nevada seem to base their support as much on her chances of winning as on her qualifications for office. Indeed, some said Richardson had the better resume.

"Richardson has the best experience of the group," said Tom Rodriguez, a Clinton adviser and executive manager of diversity for the Clark County School District. "But he doesn't have a chance."

Still, Clinton faces hurdles with Nevada Hispanics, Yzaguirre said.

"A lot of folks are concerned with her ability to empathize," he said. "Those of us who have been around her know that's one of her greatest strengths. I'm not sure we've communicated that in a believable way, and I think that's our biggest challenge."

The Democratic campaigns interviewed by the Sun said retail politics will be critical.

"You have to take the campaign to people's living rooms," said Rodriguez, the Edwards operative. "A big reason Hispanics don't vote is because no one asks them what their issues are."

As candidates court the Culinary Union, Nevada's largest and most political active local, they are also reaching a significant segment of the region's Hispanic population. About 40 percent of the union's 60,000 members are Hispanic.

Hispanic leaders have taken some steps as well. Las Vegas Democratic Assemblymen Ruben Kihuen and Mo Denis, the only Latinos in the state Legislature, met with Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and other Nevada Hispanic leaders this month.

Tony Sanchez, head of the Latin Chamber of Commerce's political arm, Impacto, attended a similar meeting with Richardson. "I've never seen more Latinos participate in Nevada than I've seen with these meetings," Sanchez said.