Justice
The Geography of the Latino Vote
Hispanic voters could influence the presidential race in key battleground states.
The past few days have seen a strong push for Latino voters by the Obama campaign. In New York it released an ad with Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz championing "someone that really cares about the Latin community." In California the president dedicated a monument to Cesar Chavez (whose "Si, se puede" call inspired Obama's "Yes, we can"). In battleground states Obama speaks Spanish in an ad targeting immigrant voters.
The rising impact of the Latino vote is well-documented. Earlier this month the Pew Hispanic Center reported [PDF] that a record 23.7 million Latinos will be eligible to vote in the 2012 election — representing roughly 11 percent of the country's electorate. Pew also presented a map that parcels out the Latino vote: