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New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson on the impact Latino voters will have on the upcoming Presidential election.
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The governor or isn't this what's going on with the Latino vote in the Democrat Democrats and Republicans are fighting for the Latino vote.
The future.
Of if you wanna be successful -- politics seems like you really need the Latino vote.
-- George W.
Bush did pretty well but the Latino vote got 44% of the Latino vote.
Why is the Latino vote Democrat.
Well it's not a bloc vote -- it is.
Primarily Democrat the Democrat needs 65%.
To win the presidency with a Latino vote now George W.
Bush as you mentioned it over forty and in the two times he did that.
He won the presidency.
It is important because it's about 20% of the total vote in states like Florida and Nevada Colorado these are the battleground states -- decide the presidency.
You have Latinos in almost every state in the country.
Active but growing.
And this is the sleeping giant.
Of American politics the African American vote is predominantly.
Democrat -- and the 80s90%.
The Latino vote shows independence fluctuation.
But generally on a national basis it's.
65%.
Democrat for the Democrat to win.
If I look you know you and I've talked before governor many times and and I looked on your record and I go we -- strongly favor the death penalty.
View believe in mandatory three strikes sentencing you're a big Second Amendment -- the right to own guns.
You sound.
On paper -- not all the way to -- on a lot of issues.
You're you're pro military grow the military.
You sound like a conservative why aren't you.
Republican.
Well it.
First stop -- a westerner and and those issues that you mentioned.
On the on -- Second Amendment.
That we have four military bases.
Look.
I'm a moderate.
But I think it's important that.
Latinos not be put in a block you have for instance on social issues on issues like abortion.
On the deficit Latinos generally poll moderate to conservative.
But on issues relating to immigration.
Civil rights.
There's kind of a progressive streak the main point time is the Latino vote.
Is predominantly Democrats but it's not a block.
And then you've got the Cuban Americans for instance that are predominantly Republican although it fluctuates.
You've got.
A real diversity within an emerging community.
That is going to settle.
Presidential elections in the future and you saw this yeah yeah -- Leon Castro he's a star of the future he's an American -- The Republican party's -- give them a little credit they have three statewide officials.
That our Republican that manage and run states.
Senators so.
You know in fact Tom I thought that senator rubio.
If he were -- he'd be a threat now thankfully he wasn't picked.
So I feel good that the Democrats -- Get that necessary percentage to win the presidency the president will very narrowly.
-- numbers there really you speaking of the Republicans and your successor Susanna Martinez.
When she gave her address to the Republican Convention she was talking about the fact that.
Some Republicans invited her and her husband to launch and she knew that there -- gonna try to talk forward to being a Republican.
And she said she walked out of the launch they never talked about Republican vs Democrat they just talked about issues.
And she looked at her husband said I am a Republican is so it goes back to my point about the fact I wonder if this.
Is starting to change especially she -- second and third and fourth generation immigrant.
Well it is -- you never know Tom but he hears the worry that I think the Republicans have to happen.
On the issues that Latinos today care the most about.
The the cutting issues like comprehensive immigration.
The DREAM Act education for soldiers that have served the legalization and issues like the deportations of president.
Obama.
Allowed the kids of immigrants basically.
A million of them to stay not be deported again but by then it the Republicans have very negative positions on those you were in.
Those Republican primaries that everybody was trying to -- -- each other let's deport all these eleven million illegals.
That's not does something that Latinos like -- you know.
