US Congressional Hispanics pledge to help Obama win

Congressional Hispanics pledge to help Obama win

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have shifted their support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama and are vowing to help Democrats win the Latino vote.

Obama met with the caucus Tuesday evening in what attendees said was a cordial meeting and the first time many had met or had any significant discussion with Obama. Only one of the four female Hispanic caucus members attended.

Hispanic voters heavily favored Clinton over Obama during the Democratic primary season.

"I told him I worked my heart out against you and I'm ready to work for you now," Rep. Henry Cuellar, an avid Clinton backer, said after the meeting.

Hispanics are considered a key constituency in this year's elections. President Bush captured about 40% of the Hispanic vote in 2004.

But Democrats believe they can top that because of Hispanic voters' frustrations over the war in Iraq, the economic downturn and what some consider anti-immigration rhetoric and policies of the Bush administration.

A recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showed Obama with 62% support from Hispanics polled to McCain's 28%. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus represents about 9.8 million Hispanics, about 21% of the 45.5 million in the country, the caucus said.

During the meeting, Obama agreed that Clinton "hustled" more for the Hispanic vote, said Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas.

"He acknowledged that he had heard the criticism that his campaign in the primary had not done sufficient or extensive outreach to the Hispanic community," Reyes said. Obama acknowledged his campaign didn't do a good job and he wanted to change that, Reyes said.

Obama told them he is working on a national Hispanic outreach strategy, Reyes said.

Reyes also said Ortiz urged Obama to visit Texas even though the state is not a battleground state in the fall election. Ortiz, who wasn't available to comment after the meeting, said Obama appearances could help Hispanic candidates such as Rick Norieg, who is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Hessy Fernandez, a Republican National Committee spokeswoman, said the meeting wouldn't change much among Hispanic voters.

"It's going to take a lot more for Senator Obama to appeal to Hispanics, more than a meeting," Fernandez said. She said presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, an Arizona senator, has a longtime relationship with Latinos, and cited his 70% share of the Latino vote in his Senate re-election bid.

Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, D-Texas, said Latinos will look deeply at the issues and what truly affects their every day lives.

"When you look at his record and what he's saying about health care, the school system and individual responsibility of parents, what is the right thing to do for this country, I just can't see they would have a difficult choice in seeing Barack Obama is the individual" to vote for, said Gonzalez, the only Texas Hispanic caucus member who has backed Obama from the beginning. The rest have since joined on.

"We were so strongly for Hillary Clinton and understood her proposals and when you compare those to Barack Obama, then how can you vote for McCain?" he said.

There are 21 members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. It is open to all parties, but all of its members are Democrats.

Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., an early Obama backer, was the only Latina who attended the meeting.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-06-18-obama-hispanic-caucus_N.htm