2008 Election

One more nail in the coffin of the GOP's southern strategy: Virginia goes blue in 2008. NDN has long discussed the impending downfall of the Southern Strategy as the demography of traditionally "red" states changes to reflect the 21st century composition of the country.  Before last night, Virginia had voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election since 1952, except in 1964. This year Virginia's Latino voters and immigrant voters played a critical role in winning the state for Democrats. There are about 150,000 registered Latino voters in Virginia (almost twice the number from 2004), and let's not forget that Jim Webb defeated Sen. Allen in 2006 by 10,000 votes. Hispanics comprise 3% of total eligible voters, but last night they accounted for 5% of total voters in Virginia - a state that Obama won by 5% (or close to 155,000 votes). This is another example of Hispanics voting at a higher rate than the general electorate. Could Virginia,with its growing Hispanic and immigrant population, be the next Nevada?

NDN's VP for Hispanic Programs, Andres Ramirez, will speak as a panelist during the National Council of La Raza's (NCLR) Annual Conference.  Andres will address NCLR members, affiliates, individuals and corporations from across the country during the following panel, which is part of NCLR's Latino Empowerment and Advocacy Project (LEAP):  

Latino Voters:  Making Their Mark on the 2008 Election

Tuesday, July 15

8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA

Andres will present analysis of Latino demographics, registration and voting patterns, the issues that motivate Latino voters, as well as the potential impact of the Hispanic vote on this election cycle.

To learn more about the the Latino vote in the 2008 elections and this year's NCLR Annual Conference, continue to follow our blog in English and Spanish as write more on this throughout the weekend.