The Dems’ Fight for Latino Loyalties - The Democrats’ Sunday night Univision debate was just the first step in a drive to reverse George Bush’s gains among Hispanic voters. On to ‘Latino Tuesday.’

“The Democratic presidential candidates came like courtiers to the University of Miami, determined to woo the rapidly growing Latino electorate by participating in the Univision network’s debate on Sunday night, the first ever conducted in both Spanish and English. They offered paeans to Hispanic accomplishments, touted pro-immigrant policies and deployed legions of surrogates afterward to vouch for their Latino cred. As Sergio Bendixen, a Hispanic pollster hired by Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign, put it before the start of the debate, “The campaign for the Hispanic vote begins [now].”

It’s a vote that’s been slowly gaining clout with each new electoral cycle. According to figures compiled by the New Democrat Network, the number of Latino registered voters is projected to reach 14 million by 2008, nearly double the figure in 2000. Changes in the primary schedule will only boost Latinos’ political punch. They represent a sizable chunk of the electorate in Nevada, whose caucus has been moved up the calendar to January 19, second only to Iowa’s. And they’re concentrated in delegate-rich states like California and New York that will vote on February 5””a date New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez dubs “Latino Tuesday.” Democrats enter this campaign season in a stronger position than Republicans, whose recent harsh””some say xenophobic””rhetoric on immigration has alienated many Hispanics. It doesn’t help that the Republican presidential field, with the exception of Sen. John McCain, declined Univision’s offer of a similar debate. (The network says it’s trying to schedule a date with the campaigns.) Hoping to solidify their gains, Democrats are adding Hispanic staffers and beefing up their outreach.”

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