Now, I won't go so far as to suggest that John McCain choose California Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia as his running mate just to get the Hispanic vote. I am curious about the Hispanic vote with Hillary now beaten down by Barack Obama's Democrats.
McCain's got a shot at the Hispanic voteMoreover, recent polling data suggest that California Hispanics are up-for-grabs. A recent LA Times poll found McCain trailing Obama in the California Hispanics category by only 14%.
Post-Hillary it's increasingly looking like Republican John McCain himself may have a shot at the large and increasing Hispanic vote. This from The Hill, June 11:Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), Obama’s Republican opponent, is also liked by Latinos. He co-sponsored with Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) the immigration bill that the CHC is demanding, which would put the country’s 12 million illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship. And he did not buckle under pressure to abandon that position during the GOP primary.
Cecilia Munoz, the senior vice president of research, advocacy and legislation with the National Council of La Raza, said whether McCain can win over large enough numbers of Latino voters is “still an open question.”
“But Latinos are brand-loyal, and after the Clinton brand, the McCain brand is the second-strongest among Latinos because of his military service and his immigration record,” Munoz said.
Although I would still prefer Sarah Palin due to her strongly conservative positions, this like many posts over the last two months raises the distinct possibility that John McCain will fare much better than expected in California and other border states.
3 comments:
Hey thanks.
We linked to your story here at LR blog in the Update! Section.
If not Ms. Garcia, I'd love to see McCain choose Mel Martinez of Florida or maybe even fmr. Texas Cong. Henry Bonilla.
He's got such a HUGE opportunity now to reach out to Hispanic voters. And this could win over Hispanics for generations to the GOP.
But sadly, my guess is that he'll choose rolling the dice for the "safe" pick: Another boring White guy.
Eric, thanks for stopping by, I read your posts almost every day. I guess I've always been a bit of a Libertarian Republican, although in the last few years I've been willing to support moderate Republicans if I felt they could win, and they would be better than the Democrats on the other side.
I'm with you, I'm just hoping John McCain stays away from old white guy choices.
A commenter on another post says it much better than I can:
"They say McCain reads the blogs, so here goes --
Senator McCain- Don't let the campaign kibbitzers muddle things up.
First and foremost, Sarah Palin shares your values. She killed the bridge to nowhere. Need we say more?
As for the politics, Sarah Palin transcends geography. Her constituency, like yours, goes beyond state lines.
She will get your ticket access to voters all over the country based on who she is and what she stands for. Because she's young, a woman, a mother with young kids, she will grab media attention more than any other potential candidate.
Gov. Palin also has a son in the active duty military. You have very wisely taken your son's service in Iraq off the table as a campaign talking point. That is and should be respected. But others can talk about it and reflect on what it means.
A McCain-Palin administration would be the first in memory which has family members in uniform during wartime from both the President and Vice President. That would be a powerful statement as to the importance of national service, especially in uniform.
Most importantly, any Vice President should be ready to step up and serve in the event she is needed. Frankly, who is really ever ready? Gov. Palin is as ready as anybody, she is a quick learner, and in her public career has exhibited the courage and decisiveness needed for a great leader.
Godspeed to you in your campaign and in making this important decision."
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