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Spanish TV puts ’08 hopefuls into a bind |
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By Alexander Bolton
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Posted: 06/06/07 09:08 PM [ET] |
Univision, the nation’s largest Spanish-language TV network, has presented the ’08 presidential candidates with a problem. It has invited them to take part in debates in Spanish and thus forced them to choose between snubbing Spanish-speaking voters and displaying their ignorance of the language.
Univision has invited the presidential candidates to attend two debates in Florida in September in which the questions will be asked in Spanish, according to Democratic and GOP sources. Fluent candidates could answer in Spanish, while the others can answer in English and have their questions translated into Spanish.
A Democratic official familiar with the schedule said Democrats have been invited to attend a debate at the University of Miami during the weekend after Labor Day. Republicans have been asked to debate at the same location the following weekend, the source added.
Univision declined to comment for this story.
The invitation raises the prospect that candidates who have criticized granting citizenship to Hispanic immigrants would have to defend their stances before a mostly Hispanic audience, risking boos in a state playing a pivotal role in next year’s primary.
Hispanics make up 19 percent of the population in Florida, which will host one of the nation’s earliest primaries next year.
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who has voiced reservations about immigration reform pending in the Senate, has taken Spanish lessons recently, but he is not expected to address such a tricky political topic in anything but his native tongue.
Officials with several campaigns, including those of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.), said they are considering Univision’s invitation, among others. The Democratic front-runners, however, may opt to stick to only the six debates sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
An official with one Democratic campaign said: “All the [front-running] campaigns have been pretty clear about committing to the DNC-sanctioned events.”
The Spanish-language format of the Univision debate would benefit New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) and Sen. Chris Dodd (D), the only top-tier candidates who speak Spanish fluently. Richardson, for that matter, is the only significant contender of Hispanic heritage. Dodd learned Spanish during his Peace Corps service in the Dominican Republic.
The leading Democratic candidates might be leery about attending a Spanish- language debate because of the advantage it would confer on Richardson and Dodd. But skipping the event would also be risky, because it could be seen as a snub of a fast-growing portion of the electorate.
Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said it would be unprecedented to hold a major presidential debate in Spanish.
He also said Democrats would be wise to attend the event.
“They should, because Democrats won two-thirds of the Hispanic vote in 2006,” he said. “It would be foolish for them not to participate.”
Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) applauded the idea of a Spanish-language debate that focused on issues important to Hispanic voters.
“I think it would be terrific, I think it would be a good idea,” said Martinez, whose candidacy for RNC chairman was opposed by some conservative Republicans because of his stance on immigration reform. “I’ve been looking for ways in which I could encourage something like that happening. I think having candidates address the largest minority group in America would be a terrific thing.
“A network that the Hispanic community of America watches would be the right forum,” he said.
Along with Richardson and Dodd, McCain also stands to benefit from a Univision-sponsored debate. Although McCain doesn’t speak Spanish, he has become the most vocal proponent among Republicans of granting illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. Over the past few weeks, McCain has made numerous appearances on conservative television and radio shows to defend pending immigration reform legislation that critics have derided as amnesty.
While some pro-Hispanic immigrant advocacy groups have criticized the bill for being too harsh, McCain could highlight its benefits to immigrants to portray himself as an ally to Hispanic voters. McCain’s allies argue that Hispanic support will be crucial to beating the Democratic nominee in November of 2008.
Univision touts itself as the most-watched Hispanic television network. Nielsen Television Index has ranked it as the 5th broadcast network after Fox, ABC, CBS, and NBC, according to a Univision press release.
A Univision Communications press release called the Univision Network, “the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the U.S., reaching 99% of U.S. Hispanic Households.”
As the U.S. Hispanic population has grown in recent years, so has the importance of Hispanic voters in presidential politics. Campaigns are likely to target Hispanic voters in several important battleground states.
Census bureau records show that Hispanics make up 43 percent of the population in New Mexico; 28 percent of the population in Arizona; 23 percent of the population in Nevada; 19 percent in Colorado; and 19 percent in Florida.
Their political influence is tempered, however, by the fact that a relatively low percentage are registered to vote. For example, in Colorado, Hispanics make up only 5 percent of registered voters. But that is likely to change after Republicans and Democrats mobilize their massive voter-registration programs.
Univision’s smaller competitor, Telemundo, will re-broadcast in Spanish two DNC-sanctioned debates in the fall. But NBC News and its affiliate MSNBC are the primary sponsors of those debates, which will take place in English.
CNN en Espanol will simulcast a July debate sponsored by CNN, but moderators will also pose their questions in English.
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