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Este informe no está disponible en español. THE STAR-LEDGER, NEWARK, NJThe Word That Bush And Gore Covet Most In New Jersey Might Be 'S' - Hispanic Voters In Position To Swing Stateby J. Scott OrrJune 9, 2000 New Jersey's Hispanic voters number fewer than 300,000, just 7 percent of the state's electorate, but they're being strenuously courted in this fall's presidential race. The Hispanic vote has been targeted nationally by the campaigns of Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Nowhere is it more important than in New Jersey, in which 292,200 voters could easily determine which candidate gets the state's 15 electoral votes. ''The Hispanic vote in this state is going to be the swing vote," said West New York Mayor Albio Sires, a Democrat who is also a 33rd District assemblyman. The election, he said, "could be determined by which candidate wins the Hispanic vote in New Jersey." ''New Jersey is definitely a battleground state, more so than any of the other states that have large Hispanic votes," said Rep. Robert Menendez (D-14th Dist.), the state's first Hispanic congressman. Only four other states with a significant electoral vote have larger Hispanic shares of registered voters. According to the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, Hispanics constitute 19 percent of the registered voters in Texas, 16 percent in California, and 9 percent in Florida and New York. According to recent polls, however, none of those four states is up for grabs. New Jersey is. In polls last month by the American Research Group, Bush was leading Gore 70 percent to 23 percent in Bush's home state and 47 percent to 40 percent in Florida, where Bush's brother, Jeb, is governor. The same poll found Gore ahead in New York, 56 percent to 36 percent, and leading in California, 50 percent to 36 percent. But in New Jersey, the race was a statistical dead heat, with Gore at 45 percent and Bush at 44 percent. ''In a state like New Jersey, the Hispanic vote has grown in number and importance, and we are making every and all efforts to reach out to them," said Alejandro Cabrera, a spokesman for the Gore campaign's Hispanic outreach team. "Both Bush and Gore are trying with all their might to reach out to Hispanic voters." The effort extends to the approximately 7 million registered Hispanic voters nationwide, a number that is growing rapidly. "Por favor, vote por George W. Bush," pleads a widely distributed flier from the Bush campaign. The Gore campaign launched its Hispanic initiative, called "Ganamos con Gore" (Win with Gore), last September. Both campaigns offer Spanish-language sections on their campaign Web sites. Sonia Colin, of Bush's Hispanic outreach team, said the campaign is hoping to build on the governor's support among Hispanics in Texas, which some polls show to be close to 50 percent. ''Governor Bush is not working with Hispanics as a new aspect of his life. He's been doing this in Texas for years," Colin said. "The Hispanic vote is very important; it's going to be crucial." Menendez said that while Hispanic voters make up only 7 percent of the registered voters in New Jersey, they will make up a larger share of the vote in November because they traditionally turn out in far greater numbers than the general population. ''What you will be seeing is an unprecedented amount of time, energy and money directed at Hispanic voters in New Jersey," Menendez said. Hispanic voters traditionally vote Democratic, but Bush is making inroads nationally and, if current poll numbers hold up, he could capture 40 percent or more of the Hispanic vote nationally this fall. A Battleground 2000 Poll last month showed Gore leading Bush among Hispanics, 53 percent to 41 percent. Tomas Bilbau, executive director of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, said many Hispanics are beginning to rethink their commitment to the Democrats. ''A lot of people are starting to realize that for a long time they've been voting Democratic because that's what they were told to do when they went to sign up to vote. They are starting to realize that for many years the Democratic Party hasn't done anything for them," he said. Democrats disagree and say they expect a large share of the Hispanic vote to return to its traditional home in the Democratic Party. ''The Democratic Party has always respected the values of the Hispanic community, and we will continue to work hard to earn their support," Democratic National Committee Chairman Joe Andrew said. Both Bush and Gore are pursuing remarkably similar policy agendas to attract Hispanic voters, including some issues that are at the heart of their respective campaigns: education, health care, Social Security and taxes. Also expected to come into play are a pair of hot-button issues that appeal to segments of the nation's Hispanic population: the administration's insistence that 6-year-old castaway Elian Gonzalez belongs with his father, who will take him back to Cuba, and the continued use of the Navy's training ground on Vieques Island in Puerto Rico . The two issues point up a problem in trying to appeal to the Hispanic vote: Diverse in both political leanings and culture, Hispanic voters are far from a united constituency. ''The Hispanic vote is not monolithic. I'm a Mexican-American, and my views may be different than Puerto Ricans or Cuban-Americans or those from Central and South America," said Cabrera, the Gore spokesman. ''I hope that those two issues won't be politicized to the point where it will determine the Hispanic vote," Bilbau said. "As Hispanics, we shouldn't be swayed by headline issues. We need to look at the values of the two parties and which one we identified with." Sires, who is Cuban-American, said New Jersey Hispanics already are mobilizing to go to the polls. ''Everybody is going to be seeking the Hispanic vote here," he said. "We are better informed than we were before. We are starting to appreciate the fact that our votes count."
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