December 9, 2004: Headlines: COS - El Salvador: Politics: Congress: Hispanic Issues: Election2006: The Merucry News: Rep. Mike Honda delivers letter to Democratic party's executive committee: Democrats must do more to capture Hispanic vote, group says
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December 9, 2004: Headlines: COS - El Salvador: Politics: Congress: Hispanic Issues: Election2006: The Merucry News: Rep. Mike Honda delivers letter to Democratic party's executive committee: Democrats must do more to capture Hispanic vote, group says
Rep. Mike Honda delivers letter to Democratic party's executive committee: Democrats must do more to capture Hispanic vote, group says
Rep. Mike Honda delivers letter to Democratic party's executive committee: Democrats must do more to capture Hispanic vote, group says
Democrats must do more to capture Hispanic vote, group says
ERICA WERNER
Associated Press
Caption: A letter saying the Democratic Party has neglected Hispanic voters for a decade and risks severe election losses unless it changes course now, was being delivered to the party's executive committee by Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, who chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Honda plans to recommend that the party also increase its outreach to Asian voters
WASHINGTON - The Democratic Party has neglected Hispanic voters for a decade and risks severe election losses unless it changes course now, Hispanics in Congress wrote party leaders Thursday.
"It is time for the leadership of the Democratic Party to face the facts. ... Republicans have been committed, methodical and are clearly winning the battle for the Hispanic voters," said the letter by the newly elected leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, including incoming chairwoman Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Norwalk.
"If Democrats do not undertake a major paradigm shift in how they deal with (the) Latino vote, the future of the party is in serious jeopardy," the letter says.
"If the recent trends hold, several current Democratic strongholds will soon become swing states."
The letter was being delivered to members of the Democratic National Committee's executive committee, who are meeting in Orlando, Fla., starting Friday.
The letter includes the demand that "any future chair have a serious plan (for) changing this dynamic." The Democratic National Committee will choose a new chair in February, and potential candidates will make pitches in Orlando to state party chairs.
The letter reflects extreme frustration among Hispanics over the election results Nov. 2 and before.
The Republican Party stepped up its effort to target Hispanic voters after a poor showing in the 1996 election, and the work paid off: President Bush claimed 35 percent of Hispanic voters in 2000, and at least 40 percent Nov. 2, according to exit polls.
Democrats must stop this trend by treating Hispanic voters as a swing vote, not as part of their base, and improving their message to Hispanics, the letter says.
It also recommends integrating Hispanics into the party's senior staff, providing state parties with more resources to reach Hispanic voters, and demonstrating an understanding that the Hispanic community is diverse, not monolithic.
The letter was being delivered to the party's executive committee by Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, who chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and planned to recommend that the party also increase its outreach to Asian voters.
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Story Source: The Merucry News
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - El Salvador; Politics; Congress; Hispanic Issues; Election2006
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