The ”sleeping giant” Latino vote

The World

(What do you know right now?) We’re still waiting for official results but projections say that Obama has won Vermont, while McCain appears to have won Kentucky. Next eyes will be on Virginia which could mean real trouble for McCain if Obama wins it. (You’ve been focusing on the Latino vote for this election. Why is Nevada so significant, for example?) The state went for George W. Bush in the last two elections but in 2004 it was very close. Hispanics make up 12% of voters in the state, and both campaigns have spent a lot of money on this population. The turnout for early voting is going to be huge and it’s apparently favoring Obama. (Now let’s turn to EE, a political analyst with a Latino organization. What are the signs that Latinos are turning out in larger numbers to vote?) All throughout the day, we have projected that we’d see 2.6 million new Latino voters and we’ve heard of long lines in Latino neighborhoods. (Tell us more about what you’re hearing from your Latino voter hotline.) We’re hearing a lot of enthusiasm and people wanting to get informed, but with this huge surge of voters, a lot of people have been worried about the bureaucracy of Latinos getting registered. (MB: Are you surprised at how heavily Latinos have favored Obama?) No surprise. Polls have always showed that and Obama has reached out to Latinos more directly.

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.