Serrano Letter to The New York Times on Hispanic Voters

Hispanic Voters (November 16, 2004)

To the Editor:

Desperate for new angles to explain President Bush's razor-thin victory, pundits are now suggesting that the Hispanic community is drifting to the right (''Hispanic Voters Declared Their Independence,'' front page, Nov. 9).

While one much-ballyhooed exit poll showed modest gains for Mr. Bush among Hispanic voters, the William C. Velasquez Institute, a respected nonpartisan think tank, released comprehensive exit polling data showing that Hispanic voters overwhelmingly supported John Kerry, 67.7 percent to 31 percent.

Such numbers actually indicate a Democratic gain from 2000, when Al Gore won the Hispanic vote 65 percent to 35 percent. A Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration poll found that Puerto Ricans voted an overwhelming 82 percent for Mr. Kerry.

Hispanics know that families can flourish only in communities that value jobs, education, environmental justice and broad access to health care. These are the causes that Democrats have long championed and will continue to fight for.

José E. Serrano
Member of Congress
16th District,
New York
Washington
, Nov. 11, 2004