Clinton Heads West in Search of Latino Vote

May 30, 2007— -- At a packed union hall just blocks from the Las Vegas strip but closer to seedy massage parlors than the glitz and glam of the casinos, the chatter preceding Sen.Hillary Clinton's arrival was a mixture of Spanish and English.

A banner on the wall read "El Sueno en Las Vegas" -- "The Las Vegas Dream."

Of the 60,000 members of the local Culinary Workers union, about 45 percent are Latino.

And on swings through Nevada and California Wednesday, the Democrat from New York is trying to build support in the Hispanic community, most notably with a key endorsement announcement in Los Angeles.

Clinton Claims Hispanic Support

Popular Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is putting his weight behind Clinton.

While it's hard to prove the impact of a politician's endorsements in any race, Villaraigosa's nod comes early, and the campaign clearly hopes it will influence Latino voters.

In a boastful memo sent around by the campaign, Clinton campaign strategists Mark Penn and Sergio Bendixen touted the senator's record on Hispanic issues and called her "the overwhelming favorite among Latino voters."

They called Villaraigosa's endorsement "proof that the Clinton Campaign's focus and strategy to win the Latino vote continues to grow stronger."

The memo cited polling that indicated high favorability ratings for Clinton among Hispanic voters, and polls in states with large Hispanic populations where Clinton is leading.

Other campaigns don't dispute the poll numbers cited by Clinton's camp, but point out that it is still early and if she is leading nationally, it would make sense that she might lead among the subset of Hispanic voters.

Immigration Top Concern

At both Nevada events, Clinton was asked about immigration.

At the union hall, she spoke about the need to pass the reform bill now that's pending in the Senate and said she would try to amend the legislation to make it more friendly to immigrant families.

"I'm leading the way for trying to get the spouses and minor children of legal permanent residents allowed to come to the United States," Clinton said.

After the event, Josefina Pimentel, a cashier at a restaurant in Ceasar's Palace, said she was impressed by the senator.

"I think she's very friendly to the Latino community," she said. "She has a heart."

But Later, at Canyon Springs High School in North Las Vegas, Clinton struck a harder tone.

She spoke about tightening border security, making sure U.S. citizens didn't have to bear the burden of paying for services for illegal aliens and penalizing companies that employ illegal immigrants.

"We've got to come down on employers who employ people who are not legal," she said to a gymnasium filled with more than 3,200 people. That got applause, but also some boos.

"People wouldn't come here if there weren't jobs waiting for them, would they?" she asked.

Turning Out Latino Voters

Historically, Latino voters have not turned out to vote in high numbers in Nevada. Clinton's camp is hoping to change that.

The campaign recently formed an 18-member advisory committee called the Nevada Hispanic Leadership Council.

"She's the one," said real estate broker Pablo Thompson, an immigrant from Mexico who has lived in Las Vegas for 10 years. "If she gets [New Mexico Governor] Bill Richardson with her, then they've got it -- they've got the extremes."

Thompson voted twice for George W. Bush, but said he's done with being a Republican. "No more. Bush is a cowboy," he said.

He said he likes Sen. Clinton because he thinks she can bring the country back to the economic prosperity seen under President Clinton.

Even members of Hillary Clinton's campaign have been somewhat surprised by the strength she seems to have in the Latino community. Many believed Latino voters would automatically support Richardson because he is Hispanic.

Richardson recently came to visit the Culinary Workers as well. Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina is due here on Saturday, and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is scheduled to speak to union members Friday.

The union representing workers who make places like Ceasar's Palace and the Mirage possible is in the midst of a contract negotiation and trying to decide which Democratic candidate to endorse.

Clinton's message of reducing the gap between the richest Americans and everyone else seemed to resonate, even though she joked that she is now very much a member of that "rich" class.

"I know a lot of rich people, and I think it's great to be rich," she said. "You know, my husband and I never had any money, and all of the sudden he has some. … I have nothing against rich people."

The crowd laughed. And Clinton received no less than three standing ovations.