Election 2008: What’s At Stake?

As the Democratic National Convention continues in Denver, Democrats are working on a strategy to capture the votes of Latinos, one of this year’s most important electoral demographics. Simon Rosenberg, founder of the New Democrat Network (NDN), noted in a 2007 op-ed that

the American people have changed a great deal. In recent decades, America has become increasingly suburban and exurban, Southern and Western, Hispanic and Asian, immigrant and Spanish-speaking….

With these changes in mind, Rosenberg and other party insiders are not underestimating the importance of the Latino vote in November, not only in the presidential race, but also in Congressional races (see this News 21 report on Latino voters in South Florida). On Monday of this week, the NDN hosted a forum called “Immigration Reform and the Next Administration.” At the forum were Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), who has worked for pro-immigrant legislation, Marco Lopez, a senior advisor to Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano on immigration issues, and Janet Murguia, president of the National Council of La Raza, among others.

While Republican nominee John McCain is telling Spanish radio listeners that he stood up for immigration reform, Democrats say that the GOP failed to provide comprehensive immigration reform, and they point to widespread anti-immigration fervor in the GOP’s conservative wing. By promising immigrant-friendly immigration reform, the Dems hops to solidify their hold on the Latino vote.