Halfway through his third year in office, President Barack Obama has begun his re-election campaign. On June 14th, President Obama made a brief, yet symbolically important, visit to the United States’ territory of Puerto Rico in a pointed effort to reach out to Latino voters, an increasingly powerful electoral base.
President Obama understands the importance of the Latino vote in the upcoming elections and is making a determined effort to court the fastest growing demographic cohort in the U.S.
Latinos are scheduled to play an even more important role in the 2012 presidential election than in the past. Increasing 43 percent from 35,306,000 in 2000 to 50,478,000 as of 2010, the Hispanic population in the United States is at an all time high, comprising 16.3 percent of the total population. Mexicans make up the single most important body of Latinos living in the U.S., constituting 63 percent of the total Hispanic population with 31,798,000 people. There marks a significant relative decrease for the second largest Hispanic group in the U.S. — Puerto Ricans— who make up 9.2 percent of the total Latino population, with 4,624,000 people.[i] Despite the large drop off, Puerto Ricans, as well as smaller Hispanic groups, still represent a critical bloc of voters in a number of swing states.
In addition to their position as a large electoral group, Latinos have become increasingly prevalent in key government positions, yet are still underrepresented. The Hispanic population has become an influential group for both the Republican and Democratic Parties, and such voters will continue to increase their influence in shaping the future of this country.
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