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Clinton campaigns among Hispanics in Nevada

BY LETTA TAYLER | letta.tayler@newsday.com

10:25 PM EST, January 10, 2008

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - With its piñatas and painted guitars on the walls, the Lindo Michoacan Restaurant might seem an unusual venue for a presidential candidate to promise to end the U.S. housing foreclosure crisis.

But in stopping at the ornate Mexican restaurant Thursday night, Democratic hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton deftly hit two key Nevada issues at once.

Outsiders may associate the Silver State with gambling, but the two biggest trends here are the home foreclosure rate, the highest in the country, and a booming Hispanic population, which could play a pivotal role in both Nevada's Jan. 19 caucuses and in the general election.

And at the Lindo Michoacan, many Hispanics said they were victims of unscrupulous mortgage brokers.

"This is the worst fraud ever," an indignant Clinton said inside the packed eatery after hearing several Hispanics recount their mortgage tales of woe. "... There's a big difference between talking about something and doing something about it and we're going to do something about this."

Earlier, Clinton canvassed a Hispanic neighborhood with her daughter, Chelsea, hugging children, shaking hands and urging residents to vote for her.

Clinton made a half-day stop here one day ahead of her chief rival Barack Obama, whom she leads in Nevada by double-digit margins. But Obama is fighting back.

The rivals raced here from New Hampshire's Tuesday primaries because, for the first time in history, this booming state has become a player in the Democratic nomination contest. Having moved its caucus months ahead of its traditional schedule, Nevada will serve as a tie-breaker between Clinton, who captured New Hampshire, and Obama, who won the Iowa caucuses five days earlier.

And come November, Nevada is expected to continue its tradition as a key swing state. Former President Bill Clinton won both caucuses here by narrow margins and President George W. Bush did the same. With state Democrats outstripping Republicans for the first time since 1992, Democratic activists believe the Silver State is ripe for picking.

That is particularly because of the state's burgeoning Hispanic population, which accounts for at least one-fourth of the population and nearly 13 percent of its voters, according to a recent Pew Hispanic Center analysis. Add its powerful unions, and the state offers sharp contrasts to both Iowa and New Hampshire.

The influential Culinary Workers Union local Wednesday endorsed Obama.

Obama also was endorsed by former presidential candidate John Kerry yesterday. Clinton shrugged that off, saying only: "I have a lot of regard for him and that's his decision to make." She added that she has several key endorsements among Nevada Democrats -- including Hispanic leaders -- who will "really roll up their shirt sleeves and work for me."