Latinos fuel Obama victory

UNDATED - The record numbers of Latinos at the polls in the election that made Barack Obama the next president have erased recent gains by Republicans and the perception of a black-Latino divide.

A nonpartisan group called the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials estimates that between 9.6 million and 11 million Latinos voted in the election pitting Obama against John McCain. That compares to a Census estimate of 7.6 million in the last general election.

Associated Press exit polls suggest Latinos comprised 9 percent of all voters this year, compared to 7 percent in 2004.

Nationwide, the AP polls suggest about two-thirds of Latino voters chose Obama.
Economic weakness, the illegal immigration debate and grass-roots efforts to encourage voting all helped put Obama over the top in the battleground states of Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Florida.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/11/215087