From the Sacramento Bee:
But few groups are being watched as closely for signs of voting enthusiasm as Hispanic voters. Latinos are the nation's largest minority group, accounting for nearly 47 million people and 15 percent of the population. Of these, more than 19 million are eligible to vote, and this comprises more than 9 percent of the nation's eligible voters. Two-thirds of Latino voters reside in the big-population states of California, Texas, Florida and New York.... "Because of the closeness of the races in some states, Latinos can make a difference, if not the difference," says Louis DeSipio, a political scientist at the University of California, Irvine who specializes in Latino politics and voting. "They are always a critical electorate in New Mexico. Should (Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill) White win in Texas," which DeSipio considers unlikely, "it would not be possible without Latino votes."

For the full story, please visit http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/17/3110541/democrats-struggle-to-generate....