WASHINGTON, D.C. – The campaigns of Mark Udall and Cory Gardner are trying to reach Colorado’s Hispanic voters – largely by making appeals on family economic issues.
According to the Pew Research Center, 14 percent of Colorado’s eligible voters are Hispanic, but only 10 percent of registered voters are Hispanic. The state’s Hispanic population is estimated to double by 2030.
When President Barack Obama announced a delay on immigration legislation in September, protests seemed to pose a risk to the campaigns of Democrats, who have long counted on strong support from Hispanic voters.
Despite the turbulence over immigration in September, incumbent Sen. Mark Udall’s campaign remains focused on appealing to Hispanic communities without making immigration the biggest campaign issue.
“Of course, immigration issues are very important to the Hispanic community, but it’s also about making sure that middle-class working families have a fair shot,” said Kristen Lynch, Sen. Mark Udall’s campaign press secretary.
Udall also continued to push for legislation on tighter border control. In a statement made in summer 2013, Udall wrote that the immigration reform he supports would “provide a tough, but fair, pathway to earned citizenship for millions of undocumented Americans.”
Udall’s Republican opponent, Cory Gardner, a member of the U.S. House from Eastern Plains town of Yuma, has drawn attention to a measure from 2005 Udall supported that would have allowed a felony to be charged against people who repeatedly attempted to enter the United States illegally.
“It’s unfortunate that Sen. Udall’s tired and negative campaign views immigration reform through the lens of politics instead of problem-solving,” said Matthew Connelly, press secretary of Cory Gardner for Senate. “Senator Udall voted to make all undocumented individuals, and those who help them, felons.”
Udall’s campaign also has a negative take on Gardner’s record on Hispanic issues saying the Republican-controlled House has failed to address issues important to Latinos.
“Since last June, the House has done absolutely nothing,” Lynch said on issues important to the Hispanic community. “(Gardner) has not lifted a finger to do absolutely anything.”
Gardner’s campaign begs to differ.
Ali Pardo, Hispanic media press secretary with the Republican National Committee, noted Gardner’s efforts to help improve the economy, starting with education issues such as the School Choice Act, giving parents more options on their children’s education.
“We don’t think a ZIP code should dictate what kind of school you should go to,” Pardo said. “Parents should be making that choice, not the government.”
Republicans also aim to extend their appeals to Colorado’s Hispanics beyond the current election cycle.
The Republican National Committee, Pardo said, is identifying and engaging community leaders in Hispanic areas, to create a network of support for Gardner and other Republican candidates.
“The most important part of this is that this is permanent,” she said. “We will have permanent partners in the community continuing to show support after the midterm election.”
However, David Winkler, director of research at the Project New America, a Democratic-leaning research and polling firm, said the focus of Gardner’s Hispanic outreach campaign is ineffective.
“They’re focusing on energy issues,” Winkler said, “which I can’t see as a key issue for Hispanic voters.”
Winkler emphasized the success of Udall’s stance on reproductive health: “The ad that Democrats have been running (in Colorado) on choice has been very popular,” Winkler said. “Across the board, reproductive health ads are so powerful, particularly with Hispanic women.”
Udall’s campaign spokeswoman, Lynch, also said Gardner’s record on women’s issues will hurt him with Hispanics.
“There’s a clear contrast between (Udall) and Gardner’s policies on women’s freedom for health care and access to birth control,” Lynch said.
igheorghiu@durangoherald.com. Iulia Gheorghiu is a student at American University in Washington, D.C., and an intern for The Durango Herald.
