Why do politicians need to start paying attention to Latinos?

For a couple of reasons. First of all, Latinos are the second largest group in the United States and is the fastest growing minority. There are around 44 million Latinos in the United States, and they're concentrated in states like Florida, California, New Mexico, Nevada—states that have a lot of stake in this year's election. And there are also about 8 million registered voters, and they're also very motivated in this election. I think the immigration debate has been so poisonous that it has affected all Latinos, whether they are legal, undocumented, or U.S. citizens. So Latino voters are very angry and also very motivated to participate and make their voices heard.

What are the biggest issues facing Latino voters right now?

In addition to immigration, the very important issues for Latinos are the economy, first and foremost, education, and also the war in Iraq. The economy is the major issues for Latinos, especially in this economic downturn. The unemployment rate among Latinos is very high, the foreclosure rates are also very high for the Latino community. Eighty percent of high risk loans were given to minorities in the last few years, and about half of that was given to Latino families. So that's a big problem for Latino communities and Latino families overall. Another important, huge and important issue for Latinos is education. The dropout rate among young Latinos is very high. College access is not, it's actually a big problem for Latino families, as well as access to quality preschool programs. So education has consistently been ranked as a top issue for Latino families in the last few years. And finally the war in Iraq. Many Latino families have either family members or friends that are in the Armed Forces, and the war in Iraq is extremely unpopular among Latinos. They really want to see an end to the war in the short-term.