HispanicBusiness

The Obama Campaign announced the formation of its National Latino Advisory Council. The advisory council is made up of key labor, faith, community leaders, and elected officials from across the country and will serve as an advisory council for the campaign on issues important to the Hispanic community as well as play an active role reaching out and organizing Latinos in their communities and across the country.

National Latino Advisory Council Members
•Federico Peña, Chair, National Hispanic Advisory Council, Former Mayor of Denver and Former Secretary of Transportation, National Obama Campaign Co-Chair

•Geoconda Arguello-Kline, President, Nevada Culinary Workers Union
•Congressman Xavier Becerra
•Adolfo Carrión, Bronx Borough President
•Henry Cisneros, Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
•Bishop Wilfredo De Jesús, Vice President of Social Justice, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
•Congressman Charlie González
•Congressman Raúl Grijalva
•Congressman Luis Gutiérrez
•Ambassador Luis Lauredo, Former Ambassador to the Organization of American States
•Patricia Madrid, Former Attorney General of New Mexico
•Eliseo Medina, Executive Vice President, Service Employees International Union
•Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez
•Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis
•Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez

"Latino voters will play a pivotal role in the November election," said Council Chair, Federico Peña. "The members of the advisory council bring a breadth of knowledge, experience and leadership and will provide important guidance to Senator Obama and our campaign about how to most effectively reach Latino voters. Senator Obama has earned a strong lead among Latino voters, but he isn't taking a single vote for granted. Latino voters are already seeing the contrast between Senator McCain's campaign of the past and exchanging principle for political expedience, and Senator Obama's campaign of change, hope, and opportunity."

A recent Pew Hispanic Center Poll had Senator Obama leading amongst Hispanic registered voters by 66 percent to McCain's 23 percent. The Obama campaign is focusing on winning the support of Latinos throughout the country and in particular in the key battleground states of New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado and Florida where Latinos comprise a large percentage of the voting population.

Recently, the Democratic National Committee and the Obama campaign committed an unprecedented $20 million to engage and mobilize Hispanic voters for the November election. This money will include voter registration, paid advertising, staffing and mail, in an effort to promote engagement and mobilization among Hispanic voters and build on already overwhelming support from this key group of voters for the Democratic Party and Senator Obama.