With a razor-close presidential primary race in Texas, Latino voters – who make up 25 percent of the state’s eligible electorate and could comprise 1 in 3 Democratic primary voters – are the object of an intense and unprecedented media blitz. Both Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama have Spanish-speaking strategists on their payrolls and have spent millions of dollars on Latino outreach and advertising in the Lone Star State.

With the new influence Latino voters are wielding nationwide, there is a growing recognition by political analysts and campaign operatives that this 18 million-strong electorate requires more than a one-size-fits-all approach.

In Texas, where U.S.-born Hispanics, many of them bilingual, dominate the electorate, Clinton’s ads tout her longtime ties to the state’s Latinos, portraying her as a friend to the community – nuestra amiga – a candidate who is tight with Latino leaders and appreciates Latino culture.

Obama’s ads in Texas are more biographical, presenting him as a father and an uncorrupted leader and focusing on his proposals for reducing college costs and helping young families. On a recent TV spot, he attempted a bit of schoolroom Spanish.

Learn More

Popularity: 2% [?]