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Tuesday's Primaries Offer Chance for Biden to Reach Latinos

Associated Press

   PHOENIX, ARIZONA - In Joe Biden's pursuit of the Democratic
   presidential nomination, he's run repeatedly into a wall in the West,
   where Bernie Sanders' strength among Latinos propelled his campaign
   even as he struggled with other groups.

   Tuesday's primaries in Arizona and Florida offer Biden a chance to show
   he can make up ground with Latinos, a crucial group of voters he'll
   need in his corner to defeat President Donald Trump.

   Biden is playing catch-up when it comes to engaging Latino voters and
   is weighed down by anger over the high rate of deportations during the
   Obama administration, which left scars for many immigrants and their
   families.

   "We need more. And we need commitments as we move into the general,"
   said Regina Romero, a Democrat who recently took office as Tucson's
   first Latina mayor. Biden can win over reluctant Latinos with a bold
   and progressive stance on immigration, she said.

   "I hope that he doesn't eat up the lie that he has to be more
   conservative on the immigration issue," said Romero, who hasn't
   endorsed Biden or Sanders since her favored candidate, Elizabeth
   Warren, dropped out. "We shouldn't be afraid of an issue that is so
   important for Latino voters, water it down and not have policies that
   Latinos can get excited about."

   Arizona and Florida are both likely to be battlegrounds in November. In
   Arizona, 1 in 3 residents is Latino; in Florida, it's 1 in 4.

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