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Chasing the Coveted ‘Latino Vote’ in California
SACRAMENTO — When the final votes in California’s gubernatorial election are tallied on Nov. 7, countless man-hours and millions of dollars will be spent trying to win over people like Daniel Jiménez of Elk Grove.
Through the traditional political lens, the 25-year-old South Sacramento native is a walking contradiction. He's a supervisor at a home-building company, a two-time Bush voter and a strong supporter of granting America's estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants amnesty, provided they've kept their "nose clean."
And, like an increasing number of Californians, Jiménez doesn't belong to a political party, labeling himself merely as a "conservative."
Through the traditional political lens, the 25-year-old South Sacramento native is a walking contradiction. He's a supervisor at a home-building company, a two-time Bush voter and a strong supporter of granting America's estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants amnesty, provided they've kept their "nose clean."
And, like an increasing number of Californians, Jiménez doesn't belong to a political party, labeling himself merely as a "conservative."
Jiménez is just one of California's 14 million Latinos, but to incumbent governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his Democratic challenger Phil Angelides, his vote could make or break their chances at California's highest political office.
Both campaigns are doing their best to court the Latino vote, hiring consultants experienced with Spanish-language media and sending their candidates to Latino neighborhoods in the Central Valley and Southern California.
According to top pollsters, many Latino voters resemble Jiménez. Not tied to any particular party, their vote remains up for grabs by any candidate who can best appeal to three core issues: health care, education and above all, immigration.
Moreover, Latinos resist traditional efforts to influence their vote, say some experts, instead relying on tight-knit social networks to help decide where to mark their ballot.
With Latinos set to become California's majority ethnic group by 2020, both political parties have their eye on how awakening the "sleeping giant" of the Latino vote can translate into victory at the ballot box in November.
More
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=94ceacc97f3fa75103bab78c7fc3ab57
Both campaigns are doing their best to court the Latino vote, hiring consultants experienced with Spanish-language media and sending their candidates to Latino neighborhoods in the Central Valley and Southern California.
According to top pollsters, many Latino voters resemble Jiménez. Not tied to any particular party, their vote remains up for grabs by any candidate who can best appeal to three core issues: health care, education and above all, immigration.
Moreover, Latinos resist traditional efforts to influence their vote, say some experts, instead relying on tight-knit social networks to help decide where to mark their ballot.
With Latinos set to become California's majority ethnic group by 2020, both political parties have their eye on how awakening the "sleeping giant" of the Latino vote can translate into victory at the ballot box in November.
More
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=94ceacc97f3fa75103bab78c7fc3ab57
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