(MintPress) – By 2050, Hispanic-Americans are expected to represent over 30 percent of the U.S. population, around 132 million people, according to a recent report by the Pew Hispanic Center. Although illegal immigration from Latin America has declined in recent years, natural population growth and legal emigration to the U.S. are projected to increase the size, and influence, of the Hispanic-American community in the coming decades.
The emergence of Spanish and bilingual media represents an important, growing platform for politicians to reach this burgeoning demographic. Both parties have taken notice of the record 24 million Hispanic-Americans eligible to vote in November by utilizing Spanish media and appealing to Hispanic communities with targeted messaging.
The influence of Spanish media
Spanish broadcast journalism, especially bilingual national television channels, have been integral in educating Americans about issues affecting the Hispanic community. The ascension of Univision and other popular channels has changed the face of media and how both major political parties are approaching community outreach.
“We are changing the face of America. It’s not black and white anymore. We’re changing the way we eat. We’re changing the way people dance, the way people speak. And we’re changing the way people vote. No one can make it to the White House now without the Hispanic vote – that’s completely new,” Univision broadcaster Jorge Ramos told Bill Moyers in a recent interview.
Univision, the most popular Spanish news outlet, held presidential forums called, “Meet the Candidates,” this election season, giving ample opportunity for President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney to reach a growing voting bloc, especially large Spanish speaking communities in swing states Colorado, Florida and Nevada.
Mitt Romney went so far as to declare his Mexican heritage earlier this month in a Univision interview saying, “My dad, as you probably know, was the governor of Michigan and was the head of a car company. But he was born in Mexico … and had he been born of Mexican parents, I’d have a better shot at winning this. But he was unfortunately born to Americans living in Mexico. He lived there for a number of years. I mean, I say that jokingly, but it would be helpful to be Latino.”
Bi-partisan messaging to Spanish-speaking Americans
Like other racial and ethnic groups, Hispanic-Americans do not constitute a single, unified voting bloc. However, historically the majority has favored the Democratic party mainly for its more moderate immigration policy.
However, like most Americans, Hispanic-Americans rank the economy as a top issue. While many Hispanics favor Obama’s handling of the economy following the 2008 economic downturn, Mitt Romney has tried to use slow job growth as a way to criticize the Obama administration and peel away Hispanic votes from the Democratic base.
According to the latest opinion poll, released last week by Telemundo/NBC News/Wall Street Journal, 70 percent of the Hispanic-American community favors President Obama over Mitt Romney.
This may not translate into a win on Election Day. However, both candidates have made concerted efforts to gain their share of the record 24 million eligible Hispanic voters this election season.
In the first presidential debate on Oct. 3, both candidates spoke extensively about job creation, the economy and how to lower the deficit. However, neither candidate broached the more controversial topics of illegal immigration and the possibility for immigration reform.
Discussion of immigration policy is particularly controversial for Mitt Romney, a candidate seeking to cotton the favor of Hispanic communities across America, while many elements within his own party remain opposed to easing the immigration process for millions of undocumented Hispanic-Americans.
Broad Republican support for S.B. 1070, the Arizona state law allowing law enforcement to question and detain civilians based upon immigration status, remains a particularly divisive piece of legislation preventing more Hispanics from considering a vote for Mitt Romney and the Republican Party.
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the majority of the bill earlier this summer. However, the most contentious provision, sometimes called the “show me your papers provision,” was upheld. This allows officers to stop any civilian and question them regarding their immigration status.