Hispanic Vote 2008: The New Kingmaker?

Overall, Sen. Obama gained 67 percent of the Hispanic vote, while Republican candidate, Senator John McCain, took about half of that, receiving 31 percent.

Highlighting this kingmaker role of the Hispanic electorate, Erica Bernal, Senior Director of Civic Engagement for the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) declared, "it was the increase in Latino turnout, particularly among young Latinos and newly naturalized citizens" that helped shift formerly red Republican states, like Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Virginia, and Florida, over to Sen. Obama.

Ms. Bernal concluded, "Latinos have helped reshape the political map."

According to NALEO, the election saw more than 2 million new Latino voters. Despite this increase, the relative share of the electorate that was Hispanic remained at 8 percent, the same as in 2004. This reflects the fact that while the Hispanic vote expanded in this election cycle, so did the general electorate, Ms. Bernal said. Both campaigns worked hard to register and turn out supporters in this year's battle for the White House.

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