The Latino Vote in Maryland BALTIMORE, MD (wypr) - Latinos are now the largest minority in the U.S., and a growing voter bloc. In WYPR's series of reports on the coming election, Bob Costantini spotlights the Hispanic community and efforts to reach out to them:

Just after new citizens are sworn-in at the federal building in downtown Baltimore, they are greeted by someone from casa of Maryland.

On a bright sunny day, filled with all the possibilities of being an American, Casa's Bessie Torres is registering new voters:

(Torres) Do you have a Maryland drivers' license?
(man) Yeah.
(Torres) So just write in the number right there; and then you just have to write your address and then sign the form.
{bring ambs down under reporter track}

This happens most weekdays, with dozens of new naturalized citizens taking the oath without any reservation or purpose of evasion.

And the likes of Michael Aguilera, age 27, brought to Baltimore from panama by his mother when he was six now a security worker in Virginia is thrilled to register:
I've been following Obama; I'm rooting for Obama. And I want him to win. Now that I'm a citizen, I'm gonna vote for Obama.

The Latino community now calling the Baltimore area home is centered along Broadway in east Baltimore. There, Nicolas Ramos, Fernando Parada and Jos Rivas have joined forces to form Baltimore amigos de Obama

Probably around February, after Bill Richardson, which was our first choice, he decided to support Obama. Then we decided to follow his lead as well.

Rivas is a real estate agent on Broadway. So is Parada.

Ramos is a contractor and owner of Arcos restaurant.

The area is home to many illegal immigrants, but also to a growing Hispanic middle class of citizens.

Rivas and the others expect most Latino voters will support Obama, and are reaching out to make sure they vote:

Pretty much the state of Maryland, we'd probably say, about 200-thousand voters Hispanic voters that we're trying to rally.
(Bob) Any idea, how many in the city?
(Rivas) Roughly, about 100-thousand.


Of course, a major issue here is the idea of immigration reform and the path to citizenship. Both Senators Barack Obama and republican John McCain have supported guest worker programs and reforms pushed by president bush, that got stuck amid immigration politics on Capitol Hill:

Honestly, I believe both of them have the same views on immigration to some extent. McCain has been supportive of reforms in the immigration system. I believe Obama is more flexible with it, probably.

No doubt there are some local Latino supporters of John McCain, who started talking tough on immigration during the republican primaries.

But Maryland is considered Obama territory, McCain's campaign is not contesting the state in November and there is no Hispanic group backing the republican nominee.

However., there is an organized effort targeting Spanish speaking voters, with ads like this one, in battleground states:

TAPE: (5 SECONDS) McCain Spanish ad mp3 player track 7, 0:20
(banging gavel; in Spanish) No reform passed Obama

It suggests that Barack Obama did nothing to get immigration reform passed in congress.

A lot of the Hispanic vote was with Hillary; and it hasn't decided where to go, yet. So it's still on the table.

Alex Castellanos is a republican consultant in Washington, who often acts as a surrogate for McCain in the media:

The core values of the Hispanic family and the core values of the Republican voter are very similar. But that won't get you to the finish line. What you really need to do as a Republican this year is talk about growth, opportunity, jobs. Hispanic families are feeling the same economic pressures everybody else is.

A recent AP poll showed Obama leading McCain among Hispanics 47 percent to 22 percent.

Castellanos knows that if McCain can win over some small percent more in states like Colorado and new Mexico, it could be a big help toward him winning the white house.

I'm Bob Costantini, reporting from Baltimore city, for 88.1, WYPR.






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