By DPA,
Denver (Colorado) : The presence of Hispanic Congressional leaders at the Democratic convention kick-off here underlined the centre-left party’s renewed push for votes in the Republican-leaning Mountain West region.
A key factor in holding the convention in Denver was to help pursue the growing number of Hispanic voters in the Rocky Mountain state and in nearby New Mexico and Nevada.
Florida is also a key battleground in the Hispanic strategy for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who will accept the party’s nomination Thursday.
Silvestre Reyes, congressman from Texas and a key player on the armed services and select intelligence committees, charged that eight years under US President George W. Bush had done “grave damage to our national security and undermined our democratic values”.
Congressman Jose Serrano, another Hispanic leader from the South Bronx, New York, one of the poorest congressional districts in the nation, said: “Our families cannot afford four more years of recession, stagnation and failure. Barack Obama will steer us back in the right direction.”