In the final analysis, it was a connection with the candidates – and the excitement that Latinos felt at the prospect that their vote really mattered for the first time – that drove them to the polls in record numbers, analysts said Wednesday.

Latinos made up a third of all voters in the Democratic primary, according to CNN exit polls. And Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign had hoped to chop off at least 40 percent of that vote to win the overall popular vote in the Lone Star State.

But Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton got the lion’s share – 66 percent to his 32 percent – though strategists for Mr. Obama said they thought the candidate had gotten closer to 36 percent.

“Hillary was clearly a beneficiary of the affection that Latinos, especially older ones, have for both her and President Clinton,” said Lydia Camarillo, vice president of Southwest Voter Registration Education Project. “That’s part of the loyalty factor. But now, Latinos can see they can be loyal, but they don’t have to be blind.”

The Texas primary allowed Latinos to see themselves as a political powerhouse at last. And the political parties won’t be able to take the Latino vote for granted, said Veronica Vargas Stidvent of the LBJ School of Government at the University of Texas.

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