Generational divide among Hispanic Democrats

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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004193115_camphispanics21.html

Generational divide among Hispanic Democrats

By Howard Witt


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Even though registered Hispanic voters outnumber African-American voters in Texas by a ratio of 2 to 1, their historically lower election turnout means their influence is diluted. As a result, urban and predominantly black districts in and around Houston, Dallas and Austin — places where Obama is likely to do especially well — are more delegate-rich than their mostly Hispanic counterparts along the Mexico border.

"If you're telling me we won't get as many delegates as we get popular votes, that's probably true," said Garry Mauro, a former state land commissioner and Clinton Texas campaign leader. "But Hispanics have shown a tendency to overwhelmingly support Hillary Clinton, and our polls in Texas are showing the same thing."

Yet Clinton campaign officials, mindful that other recent Texas polls show Obama pulling even with the New York senator, are clearly concerned about shoring up her support in south Texas. Clinton journeyed to the region last week for a rally, and she was scheduled to come back again Wednesday evening, to McAllen and Brownsville, for two more.

Part of Clinton's problem in south Texas, Maldonado said, is that she took the region for granted, assuming that her past popularity and history of visits here, beginning with a drive to register Hispanic voters back in 1972 and other trips during Bill Clinton's presidency, would be enough.

"The Clinton campaign assumed that the nomination would be over and done with by now," Maldonado said. "Last year, they just came through here for private fundraisers, picked up the money bag and left. They should have spent another hour, that's all they needed, to go where the real people were. But they missed that chance. Now they are having to catch up."

Obama's campaign is looking to exploit the opening. Sen. Edward Kennedy campaigned in nearby Edinburg and Laredo on Wednesday. And Obama will make his first campaign visit to south Texas on Friday, with appearances expected in Edinburg and Corpus Christi.