Obama forms advisory group focused on Latinos
Tyche Hendricks, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
(08-19) 17:20 PDT -- Sen. Barack Obama moved this week to bolster his edge over Sen. John McCain in courting Latino voters, announcing a national Latino advisory council with heavyweights including Henry Cisneros, housing secretary under President Bill Clinton, and Clinton transportation secretary Federico Peña.
The move follows Obama's announcement last month that he would spend an unprecedented $20 million to woo Latino votes - more than twice the $8 million spent by both parties in 2004. His efforts are mirrored by McCain's outreach, especially with Latino military families and Cuban American voters, though the Arizona senator's staff declined to say how much money his campaign would devote.
"It's funny, they announced they'll spend $20 million reaching out to Hispanic voters but when you go to Florida, the only Spanish ads are by John McCain," said McCain spokeswoman Hessy Fernandez. "At the end of the day, John McCain doesn't need an introduction with the Latino community. He has been working for more than two decades on the values, principles and issues Latino voters care about."
McCain's campaign has created Latino "leadership teams" in several states, including California. His Spanish-language Web site touts endorsements from several south Florida Hispanic Republicans, including Sen. Mel Martinez.
The Obama campaign plans to combine Latino-oriented advertising with outreach by high-profile Latino "surrogates" and aggressive field operations to mobilize Hispanic voters in closely contested states, especially Florida, Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico.
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/19/MNKN12DESI.DTL&type=politics
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