Ay ay ay! It’s the election headache again, except this time around the old “cabeza” needs a little more aspirin.
Never has the Hispanic/Latino vote been more important than in the 2008 election season. Whatever the political inclination, Republicans and Democrats realize that speaking to the heart and the minds of Hispanics/Latinos across the U.S., developing nuanced, sensitive messages and addressing culturally relevant issues have never been more important. In other words, Hillary, Barack, and Johnny cannot be Hispanic-light.
Listening to McCain speak Spanish is as pleasant as watching Hillary Clinton dance salsa, but both understand they need to understand the Latino audience. In Texas, where according to the Associated Press’ exit poll, Clinton won two-thirds of the Latino vote, she counted on Hispanics to give her the much anticipated primary win.
McCain knows how important religion and national security are to Hispanic Republicans. Clinton knows that healthcare and immigration are “muy caliente,” especially among the Hispanic majority, the more than 60 percent Mexican or Mexican-descendant. Obama knows that education and the economy have always been number 1 and number 2 in the Latino priority list.
Add to this that more than 30 percent of those who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan are Hispanic/Latino, according to ABC News.
The issues do not sound all that different from general market audiences, but the idiosyncrasies, sensitivities, and especially, the messages, change a great deal. The cultural and historical perspectives of the more than 45 million Hispanics living in the U.S., whether they are Spanish- or English-dominant are integral components of any campaign.
“;Candidates are spending tens of millions of dollars trying to capture the attention of Latino voters, mostly in the Spanish-language media,”; said Maria Teresa Petersen, executive director of Voto Latino, a nonpartisan voter registration organization, in an interview with New America Media. “;But what the campaigns haven’t figured out is that 79 percent of the 18 million eligible Latino voters consume media in English,”; said Petersen.
To read more about the Hispanic/Latino market, read Baseline Study on Diversity Segments: The U.S. Hispanic/Latino Market.
Rosanna M. Fiske, APR, is graduate coordinator and associate professor at Florida International University. She spent more than 20 years working in media, corporate, and agency settings leading communications initiatives.
