<\/p>\n
Latinos account for about 20 percent of Colorado\u2019s population and about 14 percent of its voters. The group presents a major player in the state\u2019s most contentious elections.<\/p>\n
But while Republicans and Democrats are working hard to attract these voters, neither party is pushing the issue that is highly important to many of them, immigration reform.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you hear anyone talking about immigration reform anymore?\u201d asked Floyd Ciruli, Denver pollster and political analyst. \u201cThey are targeting things talking directly to Hispanic voters \u2013 but there is too much downside on both sides to bring it into the general conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Republicans, reaching out to Latino voters has become more prominent in Colorado than before. Unlike election years past, there\u2019s not a lot of railing for or against immigration reform, much less talk of stronger deportation policies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say immigration is taking a back seat, but you can\u2019t paint the picture that it\u2019s the only issue for the Hispanic community,\u201d said Ali Prado, the Hispanic press secretary for the Republican National Party. \u201cIt\u2019s an important issue, but the number one issue is the economy, and then education.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Latino voters and advocates question that stance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there is maybe a disconnect because, yes, the economy and education are big issues, but immigration is something we talk to voters about every single day,\u201d said Carla Castedo, Colorado director of Mi Familia Vota, a national, non-partisan get-out-the-vote organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost Latino voters are impacted personally by immigration, whether they personally are immigrants or it\u2019s a family member or a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
In fact, 53 percent of Colorado\u2019s eligible Latino voters are personally acquainted with an undocumented immigrant, according to a poll released Oct. 15 by Latino Decisions.<\/p>\n
But even though immigration significantly impacts Colorado voters, the outreach approach for Democrats is much the same as Republicans \u2013 and it doesn\u2019t seem to be working very well.<\/p>\n
The same Latino Decisions poll showed that 47 percent of Colorado Hispanic voters believe that Democrats are either taking their vote for granted or don\u2019t care about Hispanic voters. The poll also showed that 60 percent of Hispanic voters believed Republicans don\u2019t care about their vote and 17 percent said that Republicans are being outright hostile to Colorado\u2019s Latinos.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe won\u2019t be ignored by one side and be taken for granted by the other side,\u201d Castedo said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that immigration reform wasn\u2019t passed really meant a lot, and right now people don\u2019t know where to direct their anger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Said Matt Barreto, co-founder of Latino Decisions, \u201cThe lack of action from the president has deflated the hopes of immigration advocates.\u201d<\/p>\n
In early September, President Obama announced that he would delay any executive action to overhaul the immigration system \u2013 backing off a promise he made in June, infuriating immigration supporters and potentially meaning backlash for Democrats.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the implication is that the issue is still controversial, there is no clear winner,\u201d Ciruli said.<\/p>\n
Even issues related to immigration on the state level, like the non-citizen driver\u2019s license program, remains controversial for both gubernatorial candidates. Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the law, but it has been underfunded and difficult to access, critics have charged.<\/p>\n
The Republican challenger, Bob Beauprez, has stated that he would repeal the law, an outcome unlikely to appeal to Hispanic voters.<\/p>\n
Still, Democrats seem to lean on the fact that in 2012, 4 out of every 5 Hispanic voters in Colorado voted for the president.<\/p>\n
But presidential elections do not easily predict midterm outcomes.<\/p>\n
First, voting drops off in midterm elections. And, according to a recent Rocky Mountain PBS INews analysis of Census data, Latino voting is more likely to decrease than any other statistically significant group during midterm elections.<\/p>\n
The data show that of Colorado\u2019s Latinos who were eligible and registered to vote, more than 90 percent voted in the 2012 presidential election, but only 67 percent voted in the 2010 midterms.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think that there is any sign that they are highly motivated this time,\u201d Ciruli said. \u201cThe reason they tend to drop off is because well, first, everyone does \u2013 everyone votes more in Presidential elections \u2013 but Latinos are newer to the community and they are less likely to get into the polling place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Latino registration is already lower than other racial groups. Only about 57 percent of Latino citizens registered to vote in the 2012 presidential election, and even fewer, or 47 percent, registered to vote in the 2010 midterms.<\/p>\n
Even so, Latinos represent a growing constituency in the state that both parties want to attract.<\/p>\n
Right now, Republicans and Democrats report engaging Latinos through direct mail, door-to-door canvassing, events in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods, hiring Hispanic advocates, and some candidates are even trying out the language themselves.<\/p>\n
Colorado\u2019s 6th Congressional District, for example, includes some of the highest concentrations of Latino voters relative to the rest of the state, and it has a tight race between Republican Representative Mike Coffman and Democratic challenger Andrew Romanoff. Both candidates find it crucial to appeal to Hispanic voters.<\/p>\n
\u201cMike Coffman went out to learn Spanish, and that is something that really resonates with voters,\u201d said GOP press secretary Prado.<\/p>\n
Romanoff also speaks Spanish, and he criticizes Coffman\u2019s stance on immigration issues. He is also concerned that the state\u2019s other Democrats are not taking as active an approach on immigration policy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think my campaign is working harder than anybody in the state,\u201d Romanoff said. \u201cWe are very intent, not just on winning this race, but really on solving the problems that Congress has neglected, and immigration reform is one of the best examples of that.\u201c<\/p>\n
The Cortez Journal brings you this report in partnership with Rocky Mountain PBS I-News. Burt Hubbard contributed to this story.<\/p>\n
County Population Latinos Percent
\n Montezuma 25,431 3,023 11.9%
\n La Plata 52,401 6,442 12.3%
\n Dolores 1,994 86 4.3%<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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