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Press Release
2008 LULAC National Convention Hosted at Nation's Capital With Participation From the Presidential Candidates .
Latino Vote Key in Swing States.
June 5, 2008
For more information, contact:
Lizette Jenness Olmos, (202) 365-4553, ljolmos@lulac.org
Anais Biera, (210) 244-2239, anais.biera@bromcomm.com
WASHINGTON, June 5
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The race to the White
House is in full gear. With the tense political
atmosphere, the remaining presidential nominees
need to sway Latino voters in swing states.
Hispanics tend to reside in key battleground
states, such as Florida and Texas that have
traditionally been the focus of the candidates.
The Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research
organization, stated, "Hispanics constitute a
sizable share of the electorate in four of the
six states that President Bush carried by
margins of five percentage points or fewer in
2004 -- New Mexico (where Hispanics make up 37%
of state's eligible electorate); Florida (14%);
Nevada (12%) and Colorado (12%). All four are
expected to be closely contested once again in
2008."
The pulse of Latino voters may
be best observed this summer at the League of
United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National
Convention where an estimated 15,000 political,
community and business leaders will unite in the
nation's capital to discuss the impact of the
Latino vote that will take center stage at this
year's presidential election.
"This election year is a true reflection of the
increased mobilization of Latinos," said LULAC
National President Rosa Rosales. "Each of the
presidential nominees is clearly vying for the
Latino vote, as our voting power has been a
crucial factor in the last decade."
Republican presidential
candidate Senator John McCain provided a
statement to LULAC regarding the highly
anticipated 2008 presidential election. "Over
the next five months, we will debate the future
direction of our country. In the end, the
American people will recognize that I am ready
to act to protect our country, grow our economy
and reform our government. I appreciate the
opportunity to share my vision for the future of
America at the LULAC National Convention and
look forward to participating."
The theme for the 79th annual
convention, America's Latino Community Center
Stage, will highlight the importance of Latino
voters and their determination of the next U.S.
President at a crucial time during a poignant
presidential election.
"Every year, the LULAC
National Convention brings to light the current
and pressing issues that face Latinos," stated
Brent Wilkes, LULAC Executive Director.
At the forefront of the
American people, concerns are raised about
affordable healthcare and housing. Healthcare is
a grave concern within the Hispanic community
and has been ushered with a need for an
immediate solution. Democratic presumptive
nominee Senator Barack Obama stated, "I want to
stop talking about the outrage of 15 million
uninsured Hispanics in this country, the largest
group of the uninsured in the U.S., and start
actually doing something about it."
Both Barack Obama and Hillary
Clinton provided LULAC with their Top Ten Issues
Facing Latinos, which will be discussed at the
Convention.
Scheduled for July 7 through
July 12, 2008 in Washington, D.C., which is also
the headquarters for LULAC, visitors can attend
a FREE Expo and career fair which boasts
hundreds of exhibitors. Appearances from
Senators John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary
Clinton are expected; additionally, there will
be an impressive lineup of nationally recognized
speakers and presenters, along with world class
entertainment.
The League of United Latin
American Citizens advances the economic
condition, educational attainment, political
influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic
Americans through community-based programs
operating at more than 700 LULAC councils
nationwide.
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