Hispanics

[William769]

ALBUQUERQUE -- Inside an accounting office-turned-volunteer hub in the southwestern part of this city, Evangeline Martinez-Donkersley made nearly 85 calls on behalf of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Sometimes in English, often in Spanish, the 70-year-old said, "Necesitamos su voto para Hillary Clinton" -- "We need your vote for Hillary Clinton."

About five miles away, amid adobe houses and cottonwood trees in the North Valley neighborhood, Juanita Alonzo, 20, worked the streets for Sen. Barack Obama. Clipboard in hand, Alonzo knocked on door after door. Three hours and more than 50 doors later, the sophomore at Central New Mexico Community College sighed. "It doesn't look too good. More than half say they're voting for Clinton."

That wouldn't be surprising, given the results in Nevada and Florida, where Hispanics backed Clinton by about 2 to 1. Maintaining that edge would give her an enormous advantage in several Super Tuesday states that have large numbers of Hispanics, including California, Arizona and New York.

Here in New Mexico, home to natives who trace their history to Spanish colonists and immigrants from Mexico and other parts of Central America, nearly 40 percent of eligible voters are Hispanic.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/02/AR2008020202071.html