Hispanic women are emerging as a sought-after voting bloc in the 2008 campaign. Like soccer moms, blue-collar workers, and union members, Latinas are increasingly being courted by the Democratic presidential candidates. New York Senator Hillary Clinton, in particular, is making a significant effort to reach out to Latina voters, and a non-partisan group, the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, is conducting a voter registration drive aimed specifically at Latinas.

The growing importance of Hispanic women comes at a time when Latino voters – both men and women – have already demonstrated their pivotal role in primary elections in states including California, Texas, and New Mexico. Latinas are especially important because Hispanic women vote in greater numbers than Hispanic men and their decisions about which candidate to support have considerable influence among their family members, friends, and neighbors.

Feet in Two Worlds reporter Martina Guzmán recently visited Allentown, Pennsylvania, to report on grass-roots efforts to reach out to Latina voters before the Pennsylvania primary. In this Podcast Martina speaks with FI2W executive producer John Rudolph.

[audio:http://www.xrew.com/joceimgs/FI2W/fi2w_martina_0414.mp3]

Check out the great profile of Ewa!:

“In New York, I rarely feel like an immigrant…”

Latino voters were pivotal in Hillary Clinton’s recent victories in Texas, California, and New Mexico. According to the Pew Hispanic Center exit polls show that, “Latinos accounted for at least 30% of the total votes cast in the Democratic primary (in those states), and Clinton outpolled Sen. Barack Obama among Latinos by a ratio of about two-to-one.”

When and how did Latino voters gain this level of political power? What are the implications for the rest of the primary campaign and the general election? What are GOP Senator John McCain’s chances of winning significant Latino support?

In this Podcast veteran journalist and Feet in Two Worlds reporter Pilar Marrero takes an in-depth look at these questions. Marrero is the senior political writer at La Opinión, the leading Spanish-Language daily in Los Angeles. In a conversation with FI2W executive producer John Rudolph, Marrero also discusses historical trends that have given Latino voters unprecedented clout at the ballot box this year.

[audio:http://www.xrew.com/joceimgs/FI2W/fi2w_pilar_0315.mp3]

Barack Obama is reaching out to Latino evangelical leaders as part of a broader strategy to win support for his presidential campaign among Latino voters.

The Illinois senator has invested significant resources in faith outreach, holding community faith forums and courting religious leaders in key primary states such as Texas and South Carolina.

Aswini Anburajan, a former Feet in Two Worlds reporter covering the Obama campaign for for NBC News/National Journal, and current Feet in Two Worlds journalist Lorenzo Morales of El Diario/La Prensa speak with FI2W executive producer John Rudolph about Obama’s faith-based campaign strategy.

They discuss his unique approach, its effectiveness and the issues that matter to evangelical Latino voters—many of which have little to do with church positions on abortion or same-sex marriage.

[audio:http://www.xrew.com/joceimgs/FI2W/fi2w_latinoevangelicals_0308.mp3]

Download audio

John Rudolph speaks with Ari Kagan, Senior Editor of Vecherniy, New York (Evening Time New York), a Russian-language weekly and Jehangir Khattak, bureau chief of Defence Journal, and a contributor to Pakistan News and Dawn, “Pakistan’s most widely circulated English language newspaper.” They sat down to discuss the outcome of the New Hampshire primary, and how Russian and Pakistani communities view the Democratic and Republican frontrunners.

[audio:http://www.xrew.com/joceimgs/FI2W/FI2W_Ari_and_Jehangir.mp3]

Download audio

Feet in Two Worlds executive producer John Rudolph speaks with Pilar Marrero of the Spanish-language newspaper La Opinión in Los Angeles and Aswini Anburajan, a former Feet in Two Worlds reporter who works for NBC News/National Journal. Both are covering the Obama campaign.

[audio:http://www.xrew.com/joceimgs/FI2W/fi2w_pilar_aswini_080106.mp3]

Download audio