Politics | Barack Obama Why Don't Latinos Back Barack? Minorities don't always vote for minority candidates By Katherine Thompson Posted Mar 2, 2008 7:08 AM CST Copied Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks during a rally in Selma, Texas Friday, Feb. 29, 2008. Obama has gained support within the Latino community, but the clear Clinton preference among Hispanics runs deep. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) (Associated Press) Hillary Clinton's support in Hispanic communities is well documented, but the voting patterns of Hispanics are not as easy to characterize as her pollsters make them out to be, reports the New York Times. The issue of identity politics is a complicated matter that clearly does not guarantee that all minorities rally behind a minority candidate, and gives a "Rainbow Coalition" all the substance of a cloud. Some experts attribute Clinton's Hispanic support to her years spent cultivating the community, her ad expenditure on Spanish-language media and Latinos' respect for her husband. Others see another reason for her double-digit lead over Obama among Latino voters. One professor guesses that "about 10% of the Latinos who are voting for Hillary are voting against Obama because he’s African-American.” If Obama wins the nomination, it's not clear if those voters will come around, stay home—or vote Republican. Read These Next Salesforce CEO's ICE joke leaves employees fuming. Elon Musk responds to the mass exodus at xAI. He evaded arrest for 16 years, but his luck ran out at the Olympics. She lost to her victim in court, then beat her on the Olympic slopes. Report an error