LA mayor criticizes GOP use of Latinos

TAMPA, Fla. — TAMPA, Fla. It may have been a partisan barb from a Democrat, but Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's pointed criticism of the array of Hispanic speakers at the Republican National Convention laid bare a truth that could hurt the GOP: Mitt Romney is having a tough time winning over Latino voters.

"You can't just trot out a brown face or a Spanish surname and expect people are going to vote for your party or your candidate," Villaraigosa, a U.S. born-Latino and chair of the Democratic National Convention, told reporters Tuesday. He was referring to Republican plans to give airtime this week to prominent Latino Republicans, such as Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.

"Window dressing doesn't do much for a candidate. It's your policies, your platform. This is a party with a platform that calls for the self-deportation of 11 million people," he said, referring to the estimated number of illegal immigrants living in the U.S.

Romney campaign senior adviser Danny Diaz characterized Villaraigosa's comments as "divisive."

"We are very confident that once our story is told, the vast majority of voters will pull the lever for Gov. Romney, and that we will include strong support from Latino voters," Diaz said.

Prominent Latino speakers at the Republican convention include Rubio, who is set to introduce Romney on Thursday; New Mexico Gov. Susanna Martinez; Rep. Francisco Canseco of Texas; Sher Valenzuela, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Delaware; Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval; and Ted Cruz, GOP Senate nominee from Texas.

Luce Vela Fortuno, the first lady of Puerto Rico, introduced Ann Romney on Tuesday.

Rubio said Villaraigosa's comments ring true for both political parties.

"The Republican Party does have a challenge," Rubio said Wednesday on ABC's "Good Morning America." "We can't just be the anti-illegal immigration party, we have to be the pro legal immigration party and I think Mitt Romney has done that."

Latino voters could make the difference for both Obama and Romney, given that the election will probably hinge on swing states with large Hispanic populations, such as Florida and Colorado. Some 12.2million Hispanics are expected to vote this November, according to projections by the nonpartisan National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.

Latinos heavily supported Obama in 2008, and Romney has made efforts to court them in hopes of winning a larger share of their votes.

Recent polls consistently show Romney is struggling to gain traction. An Gallup poll showed 61percent of registered Hispanic voters supported Obama and 29percent backed Romney.

Romney's campaign has said it is aiming for 38percent. On Tuesday, Villaraigosa estimated Democrats would get about 70percent of Latino voters.

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