Hispanics Can Turn the Election

Hispanics Can Turn the Election

Aug 20

Hot-button topics like immigration and the first Hispanic Democrat to seek the presidency will play a defining role in the 2008 presidential election, making Hispanics a veritable swing voting bloc.  Hispanics are the largest ethnic minority in the country, and their share of the electorate continues to grow.  Hispanics were estimated to be 8 percent of the voting public in 2006, compared to 6 percent in 2004 and 5.5 percent in 2000.  Census data show that the number of Hispanc voters could rise to 10 percent or more by 2008.   There are about 12 million registered Hispanic voters across the country, with 13 states that have at least half a million Hispanic residents: Arizona, California, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Illino