New Straw Poll of Latino Professionals in Texas Shows Virtual Tie Between Clinton, Obama Heading Into March 4 Primary

A new straw poll conducted by the National Hispanic Institute survey finds Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama have virtually equal support among those Latino professionals in Texas who responded to the survey. The straw poll also indicates, based on those responding, that a majority of Obama supporters in the Latino community are considering jumping parties if Clinton secures the nomination.

Maxwell, Texas (PRWEB) February 29, 2008 -- The National Hispanic Institute, the largest Latino youth organization in the nation, has released a new survey of its alumni revealing that Latino professionals in Texas are split between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama heading into the March 4 Texas primaries.

The survey, conducted earlier this month, went out to more than 6,000 active members of the National Hispanic Institute's alumni base, comprised of Latino professionals and community leaders. The organization, founded in Austin in 1979, conducts leadership education programs for a select group of high-performing Latino high schools, with the goal of cultivating leaders for the U.S. Latino community.

Of the 165 alumni who responded to the survey, 120 were from Texas, which has emerged as a pivotal state in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Among the Texas respondents, Obama beat Clinton by a 61-59 margin.

When respondents were asked if they would consider jumping parties if their preferred Democratic candidate failed to win, 33 percent of the Clinton backers said they would consider jumping party loyalties, while 62 percent of the Obama backers said they would consider jumping party loyalties.

"Though this is just a straw poll with a small sample, I believe this shows that the Latino vote, particularly in Texas, is more complicated that some observers have made it out to be," said Ernesto Nieto, president and founder of NHI. "The findings on party loyalty among Obama supporters were of particular interest to me." Nieto wonders if these attitudes, in part, reflect that Obama supporters in the Latino community are less inclined to be party loyalists than Clinton supporters.

Obama enjoyed his largest support among all respondents with college-age voters and voters in their 30s, whereas Clinton had a slight edge with respondents under 18 and over 40.

The tally by age was as follows:

Under 18: Clinton 14, Obama 13

18-22: Obama 37, Clinton 23

23-29: Obama 26, Clinton 25

30-39: Obama 20, Clinton 10

40+: Clinton 6, Obama 4

The survey also asked respondents to identify which Latino leaders could potentially influence their votes. Former San Antonio mayor and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros was mentioned by 42 percent of respondents to this question, with Texas State Representative Pete Gallego mentioned by 19 percent. Other Latino leaders mentioned included Texas State Senator Judith Zaffirini, Commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Raymond Paredes, and United States Congressman Solomon Ortiz.

For more information on the National Hispanic Institute, visit nhi-net.org.

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