 |
|
|
 Editorials | Issues | September 2007 
Richardson Courts Hispanics in Early-Vote States
 Diana Marrero - Gannett News Service
go to original
 |  | I'm not running as a Hispanic candidate. I'm running as an American governor proud to be Hispanic.
- Bill Richardson |  | |
Washington - Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, the first major Hispanic presidential candidate, hopes his performance in a recent televised Spanish-language debate will boost his standing among Democratic White House hopefuls.
Despite a distinguished résumé - he was an ambassador, secretary of the Department of Energy and a U.S. congressman - he is stuck in second-tier status.
Richardson, whose mother is Mexican, is courting Hispanics in Nevada and other early-vote states to help push him to the front of the field. But he downplays his ethnic roots as a selling point.
"I'm not running as a Hispanic candidate," he said after the debate on Univision, the nation's fifth largest network. "I'm running as an American governor proud to be Hispanic."
With a last name like Richardson - his father was an American banker - the Democratic governor admits many Hispanics likely first heard of his cultural heritage last week on Univision.
Richardson, who speaks Spanish fluently, had one lament: He was not allowed to speak in his mother's native tongue. The network required the candidates to answer questions in English, and broadcast their responses through translators.
Even so, Richardson's message got through to Milton Nunez, a Mexican-American who owns a pizza parlor in Reno.
"He's the only candidate who understands our community," he said. "He's been there. He knows what he's talking about and he has great solutions."
Richardson's stance on immigration particularly resonated with Nunez, who was born in New Mexico but raised in a Mexican border town.
As governor of a border state, Richardson, 59, favors strengthening border security while offering the 12 million illegal immigrants who already are in the United States the chance to become citizens.
"If you're going to build a
12-foot wall, you know what's going to happen," he said during the debate. "A lot of 13-foot ladders."
It's that kind of logic, combined with a proven track record, that attracts people like Nunez.
"He's a symbol of the American dream," Nunez said.
Insights offered
Richardson's candidacy could help increase voter turnout among Hispanics who feel, as Nunez does, a certain kinship with him, said Lonna Atkeson, a political scientist at the university of New Mexico.
"People respond to those kinds of cues," said Atkeson, who said Richardson could become a "surprise candidate" if he does well in the Iowa caucuses.
About 5.6 million Hispanics cast votes last year, representing just 32 percent of eligible Hispanic voters. Richardson's bid also could improve the Democrat's chances among Western states with large Hispanic populations, said Gloria Molina, a Los Angeles County supervisor and Richardson supporter.
"With Bill Richardson as one of the candidates, we're going to see those states become Democratic states," she said.
Inside the numbers
Recent polls show Richardson trails the top three Democratic candidates, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and former U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina. Richardson also ranks fourth in campaign contributions, raising $13.3 million, about a fifth of Clinton's total.
Clinton also has an advantage over Richardson with Hispanic voters. About 59 percent of Hispanic Democrats support the New York senator over her Democratic rivals, according to a USA Today poll this summer. Richardson, who placed third behind Obama, got 11 percent support.
Nevada's Democratic caucus is Jan. 19.
The Univision debate might have bumped his standing among Hispanics, said Amalia Deaztlan, who has served as a Democratic delegate from California in the past three presidential elections.
"But I don't think we have the numbers to push a candidate like him over the top," said Deaztlan, a Mexican-born
activist from Bermuda Dunes, Calif. "I don't think he has a good chance of being elected."
Name recognition is among his biggest problems, said New Mexico pollster Brian Sanderoff, who notes Richardson must walk a fine line in courting Hispanic voters.
"Richardson is being careful not to overplay his heritage and thereby turning off Anglo Democrats who may see him as a single- issue candidate," he said. "Targeted media is a great way to have your cake and eat it too." |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us