| 2002 News & Magazine
Articles
Memo:
ELECTION 2002
Published:
Friday, October 4, 2002 Edition: Morning Final Section:
Front Page: 1A
Source: BY EDWIN GARCIA, Mercury News
In
his latest campaign ad on Spanish-language television,
Gov. Gray Davis mingles with Latino college students
as an announcer describes the governor as a ''best
friend'' to the children of immigrants.
You'll
never see the ad on mainstream television. The ad
focuses on a bill Davis signed last year that allows
some undocumented immigrants to pay the same tuition
as legal residents at state colleges, a law that isn't
as popular with the general public.
With
the election a month away, Davis and his Republican
challenger, Bill Simon, have used the airwaves to
play up issues particularly relevant to Latinos, an
increasingly influential segment of voters. By doing
so, they're challenging a popular premise of political
campaigns: that all Californians share the same quality-of-life
issues, regardless of their race or ethnicity.
The
candidates highlight cultural traits such as family
values in a carefully crafted way to win favor among
the state's 11 million Latinos, multicultural marketing
experts and political analysts say.
''They're
certainly getting good advice,'' said Isabel Valdes
of Palo Alto, author of the
book ''Marketing to American Latinos: A guide to the
in-culture approach.'' She added: ''Showing respect,
and respecting our values, is very, very important.''
Spanish-language
ads, which a few years ago merely translated the English
versions, have come a long way in reaching Latinos,
said Antonio Gonzalez, president of the William C.
Velasquez Institute, a Los Angeles non-partisan organization
that studies Latino political participation.
''I
think we're at the beginning of this new conventional
wisdom, and it's going to develop more,'' he said.
In
a Spanish-language radio ad, Simon says he has four
children, a point he doesn't make as prominently in
English ads. The ad goes on to say, ''Bill Simon knows
that family is the most precious thing life has to
offer.''
Simon makes pitch
Simon
has aired two Spanish-language television ads: ''Fulfill
our Children'sDreams,'' which criticizes Davis' education
record, and ''A Good Man,'' which introduces the candidate
to Latinos by stating, ''Bill Simon is a man who has
given much to the community and to children.''
His
campaign's deputy press secretary, Jeannine Campos,
said Simon is emphasizing education and family to
Latinos because they are two values he personally
espouses.
Both
Simon and Davis appear ''a little more civil and softer''
in their Spanish-language ads, said Barbara O'Connor,
a professor at California State University-Sacramento
who directs the Institute for the Study of Politics
and Media.
In
three ads, Davis features some of the state's most
popular Latino politicians -- Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante;
Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove; and former Assembly
Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa -- focusing on education,
raising the minimum wage and health care. Never mind
that Bustamante and Davis, who appear together on
a commercial called ''Best Friend,'' don't always
see eye to eye.
Davis' record
''We're
trying to remind voters of things the governor has
already done over the course of his administration,
give them some of the facts to back up what they're
already feeling about the governor,'' Davis campaign
spokesman Roger Salazar said.
Latinos,
more than 14 percent of the state's registered voters,
have increased their political clout in recent years.
Their fierce lobbying helped persuade Davis to sign
legislation Monday that gives farmworkers more power
in contract negotiations.
But
Latinos can be divided over controversial issues.
That was the case this week when Davis vetoed a measure
that would have allowed some illegal immigrants to
apply for driver's licenses; internal campaign polls
showed that Latino support was mixed.
A
current Davis ad shows Villaraigosa praising the governor
for signing legislation that will help immigrant children.
A text at the bottom of the screen states, ''Economic
help for immigrant college students.'' Nowhere does
it state the law is specifically for undocumented
immigrants.
''Putting
the word illegal in there could alienate even Latinos,''
said Bruce Cain, director of the Institute of Governmental
Studies at the University of California-Berkeley.
''Even in a Spanish ad, why court trouble if you don't
have to?''
Salazar
said ''undocumented'' or ''illegal'' was too wordy
for the 30 second spot. To suggest otherwise, he said,
means ''you're probably reading too much into it.''
Infobox:
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED
The ads can be viewed at: www.gray-davis.com and www.simonforgovernor.com.
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