Obama Ensures for Himself the Hispanic Voters

The Hispanic people support the Democratic candidate by a ratio of 2-to-1.

Elizabeth Alvisar is exactly the sort of voter that Mitt Romney needs.

As a victim of the weak economy in Nevada — one of the most competitive states in electoral terms — this 30-year-old tax consultant has been unemployed for months. She opposes the legalization of abortion and homosexual marriage and, by natural tendency, was attracted to the Republican candidates. However, now she supports President Barack Obama.

“Simply because of the DREAM Act,” Alvisar said,* referencing the executive order issued by the president in August. The DREAM Act allows young immigrants who were illegally brought to the United States as children to avoid deportation if they graduate from high school or enlist in the army. “I have a lot of friends who’ve taken advantage of that opportunity,” Alvisar explained.

In the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood where Alvisar lives, unemployment rates are high and the housing market is low. However, Obama’s position on immigration — especially this executive order — has guaranteed him the support of a fast-increasing demographic group; Hispanics’ support for the Democratic Party continues to grow in response to the harsh Republican position regarding immigration.

Obama’s campaign believes that the Hispanic community can be the margin of victory, not just in Nevada but in states like Colorado, Iowa, Virginia and North Carolina as well.

“They know that he’s on the right side of the immigration issue and wants to work with Congress for comprehensive immigration reform,” said Stephanie Cutter, a collaborator in his campaign. “They know he wakes up every day and thinks about how to secure the middle class and make it easier for young people to enter the middle class,” she argued.

The importance of Hispanics as voters and the issue of immigration during the electoral year emerged in the last presidential debate. Obama reminded the audience that Romney held a harsh position on the immigration issue in the Republican primary elections. Romney praised “self-deportation” as a way to solve the problem of illegal immigration, and he was advised by the law professor who helped write the controversial immigration law in Arizona. The Republican rival argued that Obama promised to approve immigration reform, but failed to do so.

Romney’s Achilles’ Heel

Romney’s campaign considers Hispanics, who suffer an unemployment rate of 9.9 percent (more than two points over the national average), to be an important issue for the Republican candidate. “Hispanics are hurting almost more than any other demographic group under the Obama economy,” said Romney’s Spanish-speaking son, Craig, during a short interview. “They’re really struggling and they understand that this president has failed them and we need someone who understands how to create jobs.”

Romney’s team opened an office in Las Vegas in September; last week, the popular Hispanic governor of New Mexico, Susana Martinez, campaigned in his favor. This was an effort to reduce Obama’s advantage in East Las Vegas, which holds 42 percent of the Hispanic population of Nevada.

But even those who support Romney doubt that the Republican candidate can actually get more Hispanic votes when most polls show that they support Obama by a 2-to-1 margin.

“It’s going to take several years because we haven’t engaged this community at all,” admitted Joel Garcia, a conservative who formed a coalition to recruit Hispanics. “You’ve got a lot of Hispanics who are conservative in how they live their lives and their values, but there’s this hook in their mouth pulling them left called immigration.”

Similar to any other group, Hispanics frequently mention the economy, jobs and education as the most relevant issues. But the bitter debate about immigration during the last decade has added additional weight for them. “What started as a war on illegal immigration is now being perceived as a war on Latinos,” said Matt Barreto, who works for a company called Latino Decisions.

Nevada provides a good example of these dynamics. In 2010, Hispanics helped the Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to be re-elected in a campaign against a tea party conservative candidate who promoted a stance against unauthorized immigration. The Republican Brian Sandoval, a Hispanic who was elected governor at that same time, only won 33 percent of the Hispanic vote.

Romney’s office in East Las Vegas shares commercial space with a bail bond company and a tortilla shop. It opened after neighborhood volunteers asked the Republican team to create an office closer to their homes, so that they didn’t have to travel to the suburbs to promote the vote by phone or paste posters in gardens.

Susana Loli, who is 56 years old, has many illusions. The waitress did not vote for Obama back in 2008. Yet, when the economy collapsed before the president took charge, she hoped that he would keep the country in good condition. However, when her garage door repair business was ruined, and she had to sell family properties in Peru to avoid foreclosure on her Nevada house.

“With Mitt Romney, we’ll have a better future for my children and grandchildren,” Loli said. “The Latinos who are going to vote for Obama haven’t studied the problem. When you talk to them and explain the situation, then they understand.”

Ana Maria Gonzalez, who is 50 years old, is disappointed that some Hispanics support Obama just because of the recent executive order he has approved. She supports Romney and has faith in his capacity as a businessman and in his moral values, but she also believes that he is more likely to reform the country’s immigration system than Obama.

“In four years, President Obama did nothing,” Gonzalez argued. She is convinced that Romney will think of a way to allow youngsters who would benefit from the DREAM Act, and other deserving immigrants, to stay in the country.

*Editor’s note: The original quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified.