Abstract

Blue States, Latino Voters

The author argues that, to win the U.S. presidency in 2004, the Democrats should target Latino voters, rather than trying to win over the South. The new path to the White House runs through the Latino Southwest, not the former Confederacy, especially for a Northern nominee. We say this although we fully agree with the recent argument made by our friends Jesse Jackson Jr. and Frank Watkins that a strategy based on economic issues is critical for uniting African-American and white voters--and, we would add, Latino voters-over the long term. Bush pollster Matthew Dowd's revealing insight that if the Bush 2004 percentage remains the same with every ethnic group he won in 2000, then the Democrats could win by 3 million votes rather than half a million. Most of this increase would come from Latinos. Where do these Latinos live? They live in four key states in the desert Southwest with huge and growing Latino populations -- New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado. Latino voters in these four states could be united and inspired by an economic agenda that includes decent wages, retirement security, reining in corporate corruption, rebuilding public schools, labor rights and healthcare. Then there is the secret weapon--non-Cuban Latinos in Florida. Mobilizing the fast-rising Southwestern Latino population around the same progressive economic issues that can also unite poor whites and African-Americans is the ticket to ride in 2004.