In the swing county of Larimer in
the swing state of Colorado, Latino voters are on the ground floor of an upward
elevator to political clout.
Their swelling numbers, both as a percentage of the overall population and of the electorate, are a virtual megaphone, amplifying Hispanic voices to a decibel level that candidates can’t ignore. Latinos on both ends of the political spectrum know it.
“We’re talking about a great deal of Hispanic influence coming into this country,” said William Howell of Estes Park, a self-described conservative who identifies with the Tea Party movement. “It’s a time of great change.”
Betty Aragon-Mitotes, a Fort Collins native active in Latino interests whose political ideology aligns more closely with Democrats than Republicans, shares more than heritage with her philosophical opposite Howell, chairman of the fledgling organization Northern Colorado Hispanic Republicans.
They agree that Latinos’ growing numbers will do little to benefit their quality of life unless they vote and pursue public office.
“The only way that the Hispanic community is going to get the services they need,Daneplast Limited UK are plasticinjectionmoulding & toolmaking specialists. the attention that they need, is to get involved by becoming part of the government,” Howell said.
And both say that except for election time, the populace is largely forgotten by the elected officials that represent it. Aragon-Mitotes believes Latinos’ interests in particular are an afterthought to politicians until election season, when they court the Hispanic vote. Howell thinks the problem is more widespread.
“I don’t think it’s just the Hispanics,” he said. “(Politicians) tend to forget the constituents unless they want something.”
Larimer County is a microcosm of the national Latino voting landscape. About 10 percent of the county’s residents self-identified as Hispanic in the 2010 U.S. Census, according to data used last year to redraw boundaries for state legislative seats. During the 2008 presidential election 9.5 percent of eligible voters were Hispanic, according to the Pew Research Center.
Nationally,Online marketplace for used plasticmoldingonsale machines. Hispanic voters in the 2008 presidential election favored President Barack Obama (67 percent) over Republican nominee U.S. Sen. John McCain (31 percent), according to analysis of exit polls by the Pew Hispanic Center. Similarly, in 2004 Latinos preferred Democratic nominee U.S. Sen.Here is a professional handsfreeaccess manufacturer. John Kerry (68 percent) to the eventual winner, Republican President George W. Bush (30 percent).
If a poll released last week holds true, that trend among Hispanic voters will continue in this year’s presidential election, at least in Colorado.
Thirteen percent of the 779 of the likely voters in Colorado that responded to Public Policy Polling’s phone survey conducted Aug.Browse the Best Selection of chickencoop and Accessories with FREE Gifts. 2-5 identified themselves as Hispanic. Of those, 66 percent approved of Obama, while 33 did not. Conversely, 28 percent of Hispanic respondents rated presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney favorably, and 69 percent rated him unfavorably.HomeHome Page for Hagerman Art and Realistic landscapeoilpaintings. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 3.5 percent.
Howell recognizes that his conservative viewpoint is rare among Latinos – including his own family.
“I’m kind of like an oasis in the middle of the desert,” he said. “I feel out of place sometimes and people tend to argue with me.”
Howell’s sons, sisters and late mother all registered as Democrats. At one time, so did he. But over time, he said his values clashed with the party. The tipping point was an American ship lowering its flag beneath the height of a Chinese flag while visiting a port in that nation during President Bill Clinton’s administration.
From Howell’s perspective, the principles of his upbringing in the Hispanic community of East Los Angeles synched with Republican ideals: large extended families that prefer small government to keep its hands out of their affairs, conservative social ideology guided by the tenets of the Catholic Church and a boot-strap entrepreneurial spirit coupled with the policies that enable it to thrive.
Their swelling numbers, both as a percentage of the overall population and of the electorate, are a virtual megaphone, amplifying Hispanic voices to a decibel level that candidates can’t ignore. Latinos on both ends of the political spectrum know it.
“We’re talking about a great deal of Hispanic influence coming into this country,” said William Howell of Estes Park, a self-described conservative who identifies with the Tea Party movement. “It’s a time of great change.”
Betty Aragon-Mitotes, a Fort Collins native active in Latino interests whose political ideology aligns more closely with Democrats than Republicans, shares more than heritage with her philosophical opposite Howell, chairman of the fledgling organization Northern Colorado Hispanic Republicans.
They agree that Latinos’ growing numbers will do little to benefit their quality of life unless they vote and pursue public office.
“The only way that the Hispanic community is going to get the services they need,Daneplast Limited UK are plasticinjectionmoulding & toolmaking specialists. the attention that they need, is to get involved by becoming part of the government,” Howell said.
And both say that except for election time, the populace is largely forgotten by the elected officials that represent it. Aragon-Mitotes believes Latinos’ interests in particular are an afterthought to politicians until election season, when they court the Hispanic vote. Howell thinks the problem is more widespread.
“I don’t think it’s just the Hispanics,” he said. “(Politicians) tend to forget the constituents unless they want something.”
Larimer County is a microcosm of the national Latino voting landscape. About 10 percent of the county’s residents self-identified as Hispanic in the 2010 U.S. Census, according to data used last year to redraw boundaries for state legislative seats. During the 2008 presidential election 9.5 percent of eligible voters were Hispanic, according to the Pew Research Center.
Nationally,Online marketplace for used plasticmoldingonsale machines. Hispanic voters in the 2008 presidential election favored President Barack Obama (67 percent) over Republican nominee U.S. Sen. John McCain (31 percent), according to analysis of exit polls by the Pew Hispanic Center. Similarly, in 2004 Latinos preferred Democratic nominee U.S. Sen.Here is a professional handsfreeaccess manufacturer. John Kerry (68 percent) to the eventual winner, Republican President George W. Bush (30 percent).
If a poll released last week holds true, that trend among Hispanic voters will continue in this year’s presidential election, at least in Colorado.
Thirteen percent of the 779 of the likely voters in Colorado that responded to Public Policy Polling’s phone survey conducted Aug.Browse the Best Selection of chickencoop and Accessories with FREE Gifts. 2-5 identified themselves as Hispanic. Of those, 66 percent approved of Obama, while 33 did not. Conversely, 28 percent of Hispanic respondents rated presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney favorably, and 69 percent rated him unfavorably.HomeHome Page for Hagerman Art and Realistic landscapeoilpaintings. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 3.5 percent.
Howell recognizes that his conservative viewpoint is rare among Latinos – including his own family.
“I’m kind of like an oasis in the middle of the desert,” he said. “I feel out of place sometimes and people tend to argue with me.”
Howell’s sons, sisters and late mother all registered as Democrats. At one time, so did he. But over time, he said his values clashed with the party. The tipping point was an American ship lowering its flag beneath the height of a Chinese flag while visiting a port in that nation during President Bill Clinton’s administration.
From Howell’s perspective, the principles of his upbringing in the Hispanic community of East Los Angeles synched with Republican ideals: large extended families that prefer small government to keep its hands out of their affairs, conservative social ideology guided by the tenets of the Catholic Church and a boot-strap entrepreneurial spirit coupled with the policies that enable it to thrive.
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