US future depends on repaying Obama's debt to Latinos

Peter Aldhous, San Francisco bureau chief

Barack Obama's re-election has been attributed to the diverse coalition he put together, including African Americans, women and younger voters. But one important and growing part of the electorate played a central role: Hispanic voters, 71 per cent of whom backed the president over Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

The 2012 presidential election was the first in which Latinos made up 10 per cent of the electorate, and large projected increases in the Hispanic population mean that they will be an even more important demographic in future polls. As a result, strategists for both parties will be plotting how to win their support.

Delivering immigration reform that includes a route to citizenship for those without documentation is a top priority for US Hispanics. That is likely to have a snowball effect on increased voting among a group that has traditionally shied away from political engagement.

But as New Scientist explained in September, through analyses of US Census Bureau data, the debate should not stop there. At present, Hispanics are on the losing end of massive disparities in wealth, income and education. As their numbers continue to grow, reducing these gaps, especially through improved educational opportunities, will be crucial to ensuring future US economic competitiveness.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/255f502a/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cshortsharpscience0C20A120C110Camericas0Efuture0Edepends0Eon0Erep0Bhtml0Dcmpid0FRSS0QNSNS0Q20A120EGLOBAL0Qonline0Enews/story01.htm

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