Spanish in the Political Arena: A Tool to Sway the Latino Vote

The 2008 presidential election has set a turning point in history by making the Latino vote crucial in determining the next U.S. president. They have become nation’s largest minority group, accounting for approximately 15 percent of the U.S. population. The number of Latino registered voters has increased 50% over the past decade, also making it the fastest growing segment of the U.S. electorate. In particular, their votes are highly coveted because they are decisive in battleground states such as Florida, California, and New York, making it crucial for candidates to target Latinos in their political campaigns. The 2008 election has set forth unprecedented advances in Latino political marketing including the first presidential debate translated into Spanish and a growing presence of Spanish-language advertisement campaigns.

On Sept. 9^th, 2007, the Spanish-language television network Univision in conjunction with the University of Miami hosted the first Democratic presidential debate aimed specifically at Latino voters.  The candidates that participated were Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, Governor Bill Richardson, and Senator John Edwards among others. Univision moderators Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas posed questions in Spanish regarding key issues including immigration, health-care policy, and relations with Latin America. Interpreters simultaneously translated the questions into English and subsequently translated the candidates’ answers into Spanish. The television broadcast was deemed a huge success with over 2 million viewers nationwide. Furthermore, Senator Obama recently released a Spanish-language television advertisement titled Hope which highlights his personal story and vision. Senator Hillary Clinton retaliated with her own Spanish-language advertisement on health insurance, wages, and living expenses.

The participation and investment of both major Democratic presidential candidates in Spanish-language advertisement campaigns shows an effort to reach out to the Latino community. The heightened presence of Spanish in the political arena can be attributed to the growing influence of the Latino voters in the U.S. Politicians are slowly realizing that Spanish is an effective tool to appeal to this increasingly important fraction of the electorate that needs to be educated about the electoral process and the candidates in this crucial election.

By Karina Lairet