By Michael Francis McElroy, Getty ImagesPresident Obama speaks about job training at Lorain County Community College on Wednesday in Elyria, Ohio.
By Michael Francis McElroy, Getty ImagesPresident Obama speaks about job training at Lorain County Community College on Wednesday in Elyria, Ohio.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Obama campaign launched dueling outreach programs this week to court this growing bloc of voters — a pitch to Latino voters that's likely to continue throughout the 2012 cycle.The two camps are focusing on different issues to appeal to Latinos. The Obama campaign is emphasizing the work the administration has done to expand educational programs and health care access. Republicans' pitch will focus on the economy and promises they say were broken by the Obama administration.Republicans are behind. A poll released by the Pew Research Center on Tuesday shows Obama beating former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney 67% to 27% among Hispanic voters. In 2008, Obama defeated Sen. John McCain 67% to 31% among Hispanics.During a conference call with reporters Wednesday, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., criticized Republicans for blocking the DREAM Act, a measure that would allow children of illegal immigrants to earn citizenship through a college education or service in the military.Obama campaign spokesman Jim Messina said during the same call, "Our victory depends on them (Hispanics) spreading the word to their friends, their neighbors and their families about what's at stake in this crucial election." In a news release, the campaign called its outreach "the largest ever national effort to engage Hispanic Americans in their communities and involve them in the upcoming election through voter registration, volunteering and voting."Messina said the effort will build upon a network of volunteers that has been in place for more than a year.The Obama campaign released the first in a series of Spanish-language television and radio ads featuring tributes to Obama in Colorado, Florida and Nevada.The RNC announced Monday that it is placing Hispanic outreach directors in six states: Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina and Virginia. Republicans are emphasizing the economy and the impact the downturn has had on Latinos.Bettina Inclán, the RNC's director of Hispanic outreach, said that in past years, the RNC had relied on coalitions, which, though helpful, did not provide the support needed to cultivate voter loyalty."We wanted to figure out how to bring the best of the coalitions and the best of the (get-out-the-vote) political operation and merge them into an effective Hispanic outreach program that not only respects the diversity of the Hispanic community but … (yields) real results," she said.Cesar Martinez, a former aide to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign, said the RNC is taking the right approach by focusing on jobs because Latinos were hit hard by the recession. but he said immigration will be a hurdle if Republicans don't present a solution."The Republican Party needs to have an immigration proposal in hand, because if they don't, Obama can just keep on promising and not delivering," Martinez said. "This status quo only helps Obama."Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, which supports immigration, said voters will pick the candidate who will get meaningful things done for the community, such as focusing on deporting only people who commit serious crimes.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.