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Netroots Nation 2012: Come to Our Panel on the Importance of the Latino Vote!

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Pundits and politicians across the political spectrum all agree: the Latino vote will be crucial this November and beyond as a growing demographic becomes increasingly influential in electoral politics.  Two years ago, the Latino vote erected a “Western firewall” in Colorado, Nevada, and Colorado that saved the Senate for the Democrats.  This year, they are poised to potentially tip the scales in key states like Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and Virginia.  By the end of this decade, the Latino vote could even have the power to turn Texas blue.

We’ll be exploring this theme in depth at Netroots Nation in Providence, Rhode Island this year with our panel “Latino Vote Matters: Immigration, Power, and an Interactive Look at the Map” (Saturday 6/9/2012 at 10:30 AM est).  Among many other things, we’ll be discussing why it has become impossible for any presidential contender to win the White House without at least 40% of the Latino vote, why both President Obama and Mitt Romney are having problems courting the Hispanic demographic, and just how much immigration as an issue matters to the average Hispanic voter.  We’ll also be unveiling a brand-new interactive online voter map where you can figure out each side’s likelihood of winning November given their success at turning out the Latino vote.

Speaking on the panel will be Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), ten-term Congressman and stalwart immigrant rights defender; Markos Moulitsas, founder and publisher of Daily Kos; Gaby Pacheco, an immigrant rights leader from Miami who helped secure in-state tuition for undocumented students in Florida; and Justin Gross, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

If you’re at Netroots, please also check out these other immigration-themed panels and meetings: