Political parties try to enlist Hispanics

Spanish speakers seeking deals on a hot and humid summer Saturday also had to answer to a civics question popular this time of year.

"Are you registered to vote?" Democratic party volunteer Margarita Heideman asked shoppers in Spanish.

Political parties are posing that same question in Hispanic neighborhoods across the country, a faction U.S. Census data show is the nation's fastest growing minority community.

On Saturday, Manatee's political parties were out in force at Bradenton's Red Barn Flea Market, a popular stop for local migrant workers.

"Get your citizenship and vote," Heideman says to an immigrant who doesn't have legal status here. "Seek out the papers to be able to vote."

Backers from each party competed for the attention of throngs of market customers.

"Talk with your friends about voting for Obama," Heideman says in Spanish, to those browsing olives and pickles at The Pickle Barrel across the way.

At the food court, the Republican Executive Committee makes its argument that the Republican ethos aligns with the values of Hispanic households.

"They believe in high moral principles of the home - the core principles of our party," said Freda Tussey, the Republican committee member staffing the club's Red Barn booth.

The committee has started its calls into Manatee's Hispanic households, as well, while the Democratic party knocks on doors in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods.

"We're trying to make the language barrier a non-issue," Republican committee chairwoman Kathy King said this week from Minnesota, where she'll cheer for candidate John McCain at the Republican National Convention. "We think we have the issues on our sides. If we can communicate that to them clearly, we think they'll turn our way."

But some polling suggests they won't.

A Pew Hispanic Center report released last month showed Obama ahead among Hispanics 66 to 23 percent over McCain.

Still, McCain's previous support of immigration reform, a hot-button issue for English and Spanish speakers alike, could give him an extra leg up among the Hispanic community in Florida.

"I think Latinos have a lot to lose if Republicans are elected again," Heideman said. "They are scared. They feel they don't have control."

Despite the best efforts of political volunteers on a muggy morning, few shoppers had registered to vote as of the noon hour. None of them spoke Spanish.

Before heading back into the market's grocery and clothing booths, Rashica Ford-Moses and her husband, Willie Ford, stopped by the Democratic booth to register. It will be their first time casting ballots - possibly for Barack Obama.

"I was watching the Democratic National Convention, and I was intrigued by him," he said.

By MAURA POSSLEY
Bradenton Herald