Hispanic Dems band behind Clinton

Hispanic Democrats on Capitol Hill threw their weight behind Hillary Clinton on Monday, arguing the former secretary of State is the sole candidate with the experience and gravitas to lead the country.

In lending their official endorsement, the leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s (CHC) political arm say Clinton’s track record on education, the economy, law enforcement and immigration make her the better choice than Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — never mind on the Republican side.

{mosads}”Hillary Clinton has been a champion for the Latino community all of her life,” California Rep. Tony Cárdenas, who heads the CHC Bold PAC, said during a news briefing in Washington. “Although we respect Bernie Sanders, he has failed to stand with our community time and time again on issues that matter most to us.”

The lawmakers are highlighting a series of votes Sanders took on immigration issues –– particularly his opposition to a comprehensive reform bill pushed by former Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) in 2007 –– as evidence that he’s late to the table when it comes to Hispanic priorities.

“We love Sen. Sanders as a senator. But I think that often times he has sort-of a very utopian idea of how he can reform the country and Washington, D.C.,” said CHC Chairwoman Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.). 

“[Clinton] has long demonstrated a commitment to our community,” Sanchez added. “She’s not a Johnny-come-lately, trying to woo our community for our vote.”

The PAC endorsement does not come with the support of every CHC member, as Rep. Rául Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is backing Sanders. Two members, Reps. Albio Sires (N.J.), and Norma Torres (Calif.), have yet to endorse either candidate. But a vast majority of the CHC’s 26 members support Clinton, Cárdenas noted, and the group’s leaders say they’re not concerned that the lack of unanimity will send a mixed message to Latino voters. 

“My brother Grijalva –– we’re from Arizona together –– he is on the other side of this,” said Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.). “But we know that we’re a big tent, and once Hillary wins this primary he’ll be back on board in helping us as soon as he can.” 

The group will be delivering the maximum PAC donation of $10,000 to Clinton’s campaign “very shortly,” Cárdenas said.

In endorsing Clinton, the CHC leaders are hoping to energize the millions of Hispanic voters who could play an outsized role in both the primary and general elections in a number of battleground states, including Virginia, Florida, Colorado and New Mexico.

The number of eligible Hispanic voters is expected to top 27 million this year, according to the Pew Research Center. But the turnout rate among Latinos has long lagged behind that of other demographics, and not even half of the eligible Hispanic voters showed up at the polls in either 2008 or 2012.

The Democrats are hoping to change that dynamic, not only by pushing Clinton as a champion of Hispanic causes, but by highlighting the policies of the Republican presidential hopefuls. 

The GOP candidates all favor an enforcement-centric approach to immigration reform, and two of the leading contenders –– Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) –– have vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

Characterizing the Republicans’ campaign message as “hateful,” Cárdenas said Clinton is positioned to offer the most effective counterargument. 

“We need to rally behind a candidate who can fight back against these dangerous actions and the rhetoric that’s spewing out of too many candidates,” he said.

This story was updated at 4:20 p.m.