Washington, U.S.A. — The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) has announced a new initiative to track and analyze Spanish-language political ad spending in 10 top target states leading up to the November elections.

Using comprehensive data on local television advertising from Kantar Media’s CMAG, the Speak Our Language project will both showcase the campaigns with a strong level of commitment to Spanish-language media and highlight those who ignore this critical demographic with their paid advertising.

“This election, Latino voters have the power to exert more influence, decide more races, and cast more votes than ever before, and there’s no doubt that political candidates and committees are fighting to capture that vote,” said Javier Palomarez, President and CEO of the USHCC. ”But historically, political candidates and the various organizations that support them have largely ignored the media platforms Hispanic voters consume most: Spanish-language TV, radio, print and online outlets. The USHCC will be working to hold 2012 campaigns accountable for their commitment to the country’s Hispanic communities.”

CMAG’s research shows that overall, in 2008, an average of just 4.03 percent of all political TV ad spending across 28 top markets went to Spanish-language stations. In 2010, just 3.9 percent went to Spanish-language stations.

At the same time, the percentage of the electorate that is Hispanic continues to grow. In 2008, 40 percent of all new voters were Hispanic. In 2012, the number of registered Hispanic voters is expected to exceed 14 million.

“In almost every one of the 28 markets we examined over the last three elections, the share of political TV ad spending dedicated to Spanish-language stations was significantly lower than the share the stations received of the general market,” said Ken Goldstein, President of Kantar Media’s CMAG.   ”For example, in 2010 in Miami, Spanish language stations garnered 31 percent of all non-political television advertising, but only 12 percent of the political advertising and in Denver, Spanish language stations attracted 14 percent of all non-political advertising, but just a little more than one percent of political ad spending.”

One of the most important ways campaigns connect with voters is through television advertising. No matter how one feels about political ads, the fact is that in America today ads are the primary vehicle through which candidates from the presidential level down to the local level communicate their message and seek the support of voters.

“Political candidates and committees know that they need Latino voters in order to win, but they have to back up their words with real action and direct communication in order to mobilize the key Hispanic communities and garner those votes,” said Palomarez.

Key facts about Hispanic Voters

• 50.5 million: Number of Latinos in the United States (out of 308.7 million people)
• 16: Percentage of the total U.S. population in 2010 that was Latino.
• 29: Projected percentage of the U.S. population that will be Latino in 2050.
• 43: Percent increase since the 2000 census of the Latino population in the United States, according to the 2010 census.
• 14 million: Projected number of registered Hispanic voters in 2012.
• 21: Percentage of the population of swing-state Florida is Hispanic.
• 17: Percentage of potential voters in swing-state Colorado that is Hispanic.

Full Study available at www.USHCC.com

Image Courtesy  of  USDAgov

The article Candidates Race on Reach Hispanic Voters with Media Project appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Swing states, or those with undefined political preferences, will decide who will be the next president of the United States. In the 2008 election President Obama obtained 365 electoral votes, when only 270 are needed to become president. The result proved his overwhelming success compared to the previous President George W. Bush, who only obtained 286 electoral votes in the 2004 election. But in November, reelection will not be that easy for President Obama because of the swing states.

In the 2008 election, Barack Obama won back crucial states to the Democrats, such as Florida or North Carolina, which had been in Republican control since the 2000 elections. But this could change this year; the Republicans want to regain control of Florida and hosting the Republican Convention there is proof of it. The Democrats want to remain in control of North Carolina, explaining why they organized their convention in Charlotte.

President Obama’s road to reelection will not be an easy one. Although the last two presidents have achieved reelection, the economic crisis has weakened Barack Obama, and that’s why Mitt Romney will have a chance, since he is seen as someone who knows how to handle economic problems. A recent Gallup poll shows that 60% of the people surveyed said Romney would do a good job handling the economy over the next four years; 52% said president Obama would.

The recent Gallup poll showed in which aspects Mitt Romney is stronger, but it also shows his weak points: he doesn’t generate enthusiasm from his voters and he hasn’t been able to establish a strong connection with the people. The results of the poll show it, and Obama is perceived as a much more likeable candidate with an advantage of over 27 points against Romney.

USA Today/Gallup lists twelve states that can determine this election: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.

One state that is not considered a swing state, but could become one at any moment, is Arizona. In the U.S. electoral history this state has only voted for the Democratic Party once since President Truman, but the number of independent voters has grown in recent years in this state. This scenario makes Mitt Romney’s victory uncertain because there are a large number of undecided voters waiting to hear proposals, and that’s why closed elections are expected.

An interesting case of another closed state is New Mexico. In the 2008 election President Obama won with 56.7% of the votes. The Hispanic vote was decisive in this state, but the Arizona Republican Governor Susana Martinez, who has high approval ratings, and the economic crisis, has given Mitt Romney a slight chance to win this state.

The swing states are the ones that will determine the election. If the electoral votes for each one of them are summed up, there are 150 electoral votes, and if Arizona is added, which may become a swing state at any moment, that brings it up to 161 electoral votes that don’t have a clear destiny: they may go Republican or Democrat. The only thing certain about this election is that it would be a close race and if Obama wins, it may not be a comfortable victory like in 2008. Both candidates will have to work hard to achieve the magic number of electoral votes: 270.

Image Courtesy of  Steve Adamson / Shutterstock.com

The article The Importance of Swing States in the 2012 Election appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.