Mitt Romney's presidential campaign announced its first Spanish commercial on the same day that it proudly touted the endorsement by Kris Kobach, Kansas Secretary of State and the brains behind all of the anti immigrant state laws that are so odious to most Latinos.

It does seem like a contradiction: one action is meant to attract and respect Latino voters, the other one is certain to bring condemnation from many if not most of them. However, for political experts, including a Republican consultant, there seems to be a logical explanation: Romney strategists may be considering a path to victory that does not require him to pursue a significant percentage of the Latino vote, not even what George W.Bush earned in 2000 or 2004, which was over 30% or closer to 40%, depending who you ask.

"Romney's strategy has its risks, but the reality is that he will not be seeking the Latino vote in the same way George W. Bush did" said David Johnson, a Republican consultant and CEO of Strategic Vision in Atlanta, who was a consultant to the Bob Dole campaign in 1996.

According to Johnson, the reason is that Romney will have enough trouble proving to the conservative Republican base that he is "one of them", and in such a position, he can not afford the messaging and the effort to try to broaden the base. That is left for candidates considered strong conservatives like Ronald Reagan, who attracted conservative democrats to his coalition or to George W. Bush, who at the time he ran was a favorite of the Republican base and therefore could work on expanding the reach to get a larger share of the Latino vote than the typical presidential candidate had gotten in the 1990´s.

Romney will have to try to appeal to moderates though, and he will move to do that in the general election, Johnson said.

"I believe he´ll keep a very hard line on immigration in order not scare the conservative base," said Johnson. "But he will seek moderates by emphasizing that he favors legal immigration, which does not mean much because it is something that everyone favors. And that makes him look moderate."
The Republican potential nominee´s road to victory then, will most likely not include the states of Colorado, New Mexico or Nevada. Not even Arizona, which this year is considered in play and a possible win for the Democrats. These are states that by their demographic and according to all polls favor Obama. Romney will seek to talke states in the "rust belt" of the country like Michigan and Ohio, where many white blue collar voters supported the Democrat in 2008 amid a severe economic crisis. READ MORE

Hispanics used to come to Houston with a dream of starting their own businesses. Today they come with the dream of expanding existing ventures by setting up shop in one of the country’s fastest-growing business meccas.

Indeed, the Hispanic business community is on a new fast track, fueled by sophisticated immigrants from Latin America who are banking that Houston’s thriving community is a good fit for their companies.

Between 2002 and 2007, the number of Hispanic-owned businesses in the Houston region jumped 38.8 percent to 104,368 from 75,165, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Census Bureau.. READ MORE

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Chicago, January 19, 2012) Daniella Guzman is joining NBC 5 Chicago as co-anchor of NBC 5’s weekday morning newscasts starting in March, the station announced today.

“We are pleased to add Daniella to our news team,” said Frank Whittaker, Station Manager and Vice President of News for NBC 5 Chicago. “She will bring a fresh and new perspective to our morning team. I know our viewers will enjoy getting to know her.”

Guzman comes to NBC 5 News from KPRC-TV in Houston where she has been a weekend anchor and general assignment reporter since 2006. Before joining KPRC, Guzman worked for the Telemundo station in Houston and the Univision network in Miami. She’s also worked for Televisa Mexico and the Houston Chronicle.

Guzman graduated from the University of St. Thomas in Houston with a degree in bilingual journalism and communications. She is fluent in Spanish. She is married and has a young daughter. 

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Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, and other states have recently enacted measures calling for stricter enforcement of existing immigration laws. Some of these measures even aim to deny birthright citizenship to U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants. These initiatives, overwhelmingly supported by Republicans, drive Hispanics to vote increasingly for the Democratic Party.

The laws come as a reaction against profound changes in the U.S. population. According to U.S. Census projections, from 2000 to 2030 the Hispanic share of population of the United States will nearly double, from 13 percent to 23 percent. In the same period, the non-Hispanic white population is expected to drop from 69 percent of the total to 53 percent. The Census Bureau forecasts that by 2042 whites will be a plurality of the population, but no longer a majority.

That shift is already being felt in many states. California ceased to be majority white in 2000. The 2010 Census estimates that whites and Hispanics are nearly equal in numbers there, and the Bureau projects that by 2030 the largest state will be 45 percent Hispanic and just one-third white.

Texas—the second-largest state—is changing even faster. In 2000, 53 percent of Texans were white, and 32 percent were Hispanic. By 2010, whites had fallen to 45 percent of the population and Hispanics risen to 39 percent. By 2020, those numbers will be reversed. The Office of the Texas State Demographer predicts that in 2030 the state will be majority Hispanic. READ MORE

Alejandra Abad likes to read fairy tales, dance along to her favorite artist, Selena Gomez, and practice cheerleading.

But every Sunday after the Spanish Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Alejandra, 9, joins a handful of boys bouncing around the courtyard outside. Wearing neckerchiefs and navy shirts, these Cub Scouts eagerly await their weekly meeting.

Although Alejandra’s brother Luis is a Cub Scout, she doesn’t attend the meetings to observe like the other sisters. She is the lone female member of Pack 121. She's a girl in a Cub Scout pack.

“Technically, I’ve signed up Alejandra in the BSA Learning for Life program,” Cubmaster John Stansfield said. Sacred Heart, the pack’s charter organization, does not offer Girl Scouts.

According to John Fabsits, Boy Scouts of America director of development and marketing, Learning for Life is a coed character-building program.

Out of 27 Columbia Cub Scout packs and hundreds of children involved, Alejandra is the only girl participating in any scout activity.

She participates in all of the events and attends regular meetings like the rest of the scouts.

“She was out there with her earrings and headband, and nobody gave her a second look,” Stansfield said. He described Alejandra’s involvement in Pack 121 as welcomed by fellow packs, too. READ MORE

Terry J. Lundgren, Macy’s (M) chief executive officer, has research showing that more than half the people in the biggest Macy’s urban markets—including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago—are Hispanic, African-American, and Asian. The chain already uses various tactics to woo minority shoppers, such as its deal to sell an exclusive line from rapper-turned-clothier Sean “Diddy” Combs. Coveting a deeper relationship with minority customers, Lundgren decided to seek out mom-and-pop retailers already serving minority consumers and get their products on Macy’s shelves.

Small businesses, however, often lack the wherewithal to supply a behemoth like Macy’s, the second-largest U.S. department store chain after Sears Holdings (SHLD). So Macy’s last year developed a training program designed for minority vendors. Participants learn the basics of big-time retail, and the most promising get to sell through Macy’s. In November the retailer awarded its first orders to four graduates: two makers of cosmetics targeted at African-American and multi-ethnic women; a designer who makes dresses primarily for Hispanic women; and a designer of plus-size swimsuits. “We are doing this not just as a nice thing,” Lundgren says, “but as a business proposition.”

It’s a sizable one: By 2015, Hispanics will spend $1.5 trillion on U.S. goods and services, according to the University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth, 50 percent more than they spent in 2010. Blacks’ buying power will expand by about a quarter, to $1.2 trillion, in that period, and Asians by more than 40 percent, to $775 billion. Macy’s forecasts its sales of goods from minority- and women-owned businesses will jump to $1 billion in two years, after rising a projected 22 percent, to $683.2 million, in 2011. (Macy’s total sales were an estimated $26.4 billion last year.) “When we get there,” he adds, “I can assure you I will raise that goal.” READ MORE

The White House said Tuesday that Cecilia Muñoz, who has led its efforts to overhaul immigration laws, had been named director of the Domestic Policy Council, making her one of President Obama’s chief advisers on a broad swath of issues, including education and gay rights.

Ms. Muñoz, the highest-ranking Hispanic in the White House, had served as director of intergovernmental affairs. She replaces Melody Barnes, who left this month. Her promotion is notable because it comes at the start of an election year in which Hispanic voters are expected to play a major role.

“Over the past three years, Cecilia has been a trusted adviser who has demonstrated sound judgment day in and day out,” Mr. Obama said in a statement. “Cecilia has done an extraordinary job working on behalf of middle-class families, and I’m confident she’ll bring the same unwavering dedication to her new position.” READ MORE

The Republican Party is beefing up its minority outreach nationwide and preparing to put its rising Latino stars on the campaign trail amid concerns that tough immigration rhetoric in the presidential primary is taking on an increasingly anti-Hispanic tone.

But immigrant-rights groups and some political watchers say the damage may be irreversible. They argue that the GOP has severely hampered itself as it looks to woo the critical Latino voting bloc that could decide who wins key states like New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado and Florida next fall.

Mitt Romney “is done,” said DeeDee Blase, founder of Somos Republicans in Arizona. “He’ll be lucky to get 8 percent of the Hispanic vote” after saying he would veto legislation that would create a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants and accepting the endorsement of anti-immigration activist Kris Kobach, architect of two of the strongest immigration crackdown laws in the country.

The GOP front-runner, Romney has referred to the legislation — called the DREAM Act — as a handout. The measure would allow some young illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to earn legal status if they went to college or joined the military. Challengers, including Texas Gov. Perry, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Ron Paul, have also taken tough anti-immigration stances in the campaign. READ MORE

It's Sunday morning and evangelical churches are packed.

Pastors are preaching, Bibles are being read and churchgoers are singing.

In Spanish.

While the Catholic church is still the principal religion for Latinos, a growing number are bucking tradition and moving toward evangelism -- particularly among the younger generation.

"My mother is so Catholic," said Jose Rosales, 55. "She tripped out when she found out. She and my aunt said, 'Oh, great; now you're a Hallelujah.'"

About 23 percent, or 9.5 million of 41 million Latinos in the U.S. in 2004, identified themselves as Protestants or other Christians, according to statistics compiled by Gastón Espinosa, an assistant professor of religious studies at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif.

Each year, as many as 600,000 U.S. Latinos leave the Catholic Church for other Christian denominations, Espinosa said.

In the most recent numbers — a 2007 Pew Research Center report — 43 percent of the 4,600 Hispanics interviewed identified themselves as evangelicals who had converted from Catholicism.

Destiny Church in Indio, Calif., opened its doors in 2004. Five years later, it added a Spanish service and bought another building in anticipation of the growing Spanish ministry.

In 2009, when the Spanish service was first offered, 15 to 20 people would attend the service, said Anthony Martinez, the church's membership director. Now, an average of 150 are there.

Most of the Hispanic former Catholics at the church are second and third-generation, he said. READ MORE

AT&T has received the highest rating for all telecommunication firms on the 2011 Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility's Corporate Inclusion Index (HACR CII). AT&T was one of only two companies to achieve a 95 rating, the highest in the 2011 HACR CII. The HACR CII rates Hispanic inclusion by Fortune 100 companies and its corporate partners in the areas of workforce, procurement, philanthropy, and governance.

"AT&T continues to demonstrate its commitment to diversity with policies that ensure the inclusion of Hispanics at all levels and in every one of its varied business lines," said Janet Murguia, chairperson of the HACR Board of Directors and president and CEO of National Council of La Raza. "AT&T is one of the few companies moving the needle in advancing full inclusion of Hispanics in this country."

Examples of AT&T's commitment to Hispanic inclusion are:

A 12 percent representation of Hispanics in the AT&T workforce. The total U.S. AT&T workforce is 40 percent female and 38 percent people of color.

Sponsorship of an award-winning employee resource group, HACEMOS (the Hispanic/Latino Employee Association of AT&T).

A top-rated global supplier diversity program that spent more than $9.2 billion with minority, women and disabled-veteran suppliers in 2010, representing 18.8 percent of the company's procurement base. AT&T's goal is to achieve 21.5 percent of its procurement from diverse suppliers.

Strong focus on the Hispanic Consumer Market, which includes converting more than 700 retail stores in high-density Hispanic markets including California, Florida, New York and Texas to a bilingual (Spanish/English) format; full online and social media presence in Spanish; a strong advertising investment in Hispanic media; and sponsorship of top-rated Hispanic music, television, sports and entertainment programs and events. READ MORE

It is a known fact that there are more female voters during Presidential primary elections than male. The National Tequila party movement is female led and we intend on appealing to compassionate female voters throughout the country and to open minded college students in an effort to sway public opinion in support of humane and compassionate views with regard to the DREAM Act, legal immigration that would benefit the American economy.

As a female leader, I have discovered several male writers, pundits, political leaders who really do take an issue with female leadership. I don’t know for certain if some of these chauvinistic males feel threatened by female leadership or not, but there is definitely an antiquated slant to their approach and attacks of females in general. It makes no sense for males to feel threatened by female leadership particularly when there are more female voters to begin with. READ MORE

It’s time to recognize the talent pool we have right here in America, putting an end to minority statistics that may soon be more fairytale than truth. Especially in Florida where the Hispanic population is outperforming other states in college degree attainment levels.
Florida’s business schools, particularly Miami-Dade College, are being recognized nationally for their cutting-edge programs and for graduating among the highest numbers of Hispanics. Not only are these Hispanics brushing up on their business skills, but, according to recent studies by Florida State University’s Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication, they are proving to be digital innovators and significantly expanding their online presence. Compared to other groups, Hispanics were the most likely to own and manage their own online businesses, blogs and websites.
Why are these statistics important?
Broadband-enabled technologies have changed how businesses operate and thrive. It’s the innovators and skilled users of these technologies that bring opportunity for innovation and job creation across a range of industries. Though some statistics show that Hispanics are behind in education and technology adoption, many others are proving that they are in fact poised to become prominent figures in America’s digital business future, including the wireless industry.
While minorities are undoubtedly making big gains in broadband adoption, there are still many without online connections. According to a study by The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, there are many barriers at play, including financial, educational, and linguistic hurdles. Yet when socioeconomic factors are similar, studies show that Hispanics and non- Hispanic whites end up having similar usage patterns for broadband-enabled technologies. READ MORE

On Friday, most in the Spanish speaking world marks Three Kings Day, an ancient celebration that commemorates the visit of Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem.

Each country in Latin America has its particular customs, many of which have been transported — and somewhat adapted — to Latino homes across New York. Dominican and Puerto Rican children leave dry grass for the camels under their beds; in Argentina and Mexico, they leave their shoes — with grass or a letter — outside their rooms or under the tree. But everywhere, the kids — at least the well-behaved ones — wake up to gifts from the Magi.

A tradition that is common in many countries is eating La Rosca de Reyes, a round sweet bread baked with dried or candied fruits and a little figurine of a baby Jesus inside. The rosca is available in many Latino bakeries in the city during this time of the year.

Viva asked some Latinos their thoughts on the holiday and how they mark it:

MEXICO
María Diaz, 38, who has a 13 year-old son and a 19 year-old daughter, works cleaning a store.
“We meet at a house in the Bronx with my brother and my sister-in-law, who have four young children, and we eat tamales or posole. We also eat taquitos with cheese. We buy the Rosca de Reyes in the Mexican bakery.”

PUERTO RICO
Janette Colón, 48, born in the South Bronx
“My parents are from Puerto Rico. My mom told me that she celebrated the day when she lived there as a child. She lived in the countryside, and they were very poor but they put hay and water for the camels and they left a hand-knitted dollas a gift. As we are very Americanized, we don’t celebrate here, but I would like to go to the Three Kings Day Parade at El Museo del Barrio.” READ MORE

The number of Latinos who own and operate small businesses in Minnesota is booming. This state-wide trend is spreading to Moorhead.

Express Janitorial Services owner Jesus Gutierrez is making sure Fargo's Family Healthcare is squeaky clean.

Jesus Gutierrez – Express Janitorial Services: "I want to provide to my family whatever they need."

Gutierrez is pretty busy. He's got accounts all over the F-M area, including Moorhead's Menards.

Jesus Gutierrez: "I was an employee a couple years ago, and I got a lot of experience, and in the meantime I decide to be more successful on my own."

The native of Mexico made the Midwest move to take advantage of a thriving economy, and he's not alone. The number of Latino owned businesses has grown a quarter in just 5 years.

Jesus Gutierrez: "Business like food business, cleaning business, any kind of small business pretty much."

Don't forget antique businesses, like Latino-owned and operated Lucia's Vintage Decor, which just opened up in October.

David Miranda – Sister Owns Lucia’s Vintage Decor: "It's just picking up; people are realizing we are here now." READ MORE

A new survey says that Hispanic spending on mobile devices over the holidays may have reached up to $5 billion.

Zpryme Research and Consulting surveyed over 500 Latinos on their mood as consumers and intentions to spend money during the holidays and overwhelmingly found a desire to spend.

One out of four Hispanics intended to spend $251 to $1,000 on mobile devices and Latinos surveyed as the most likely to buy tablet devices (19 percent) and smartphones (19 percent).

Ariel Coro, founder of TuTecnologia says that the numbers are no surprise.

“Many Hispanics see the tablet and smartphone as a gateway to the technology world that not so long ago was held captive by expensive entry-level desktops and laptops,” he says. “This is a similar phenomenon to the one seen a couple of years ago with netbooks. Nowadays, tablets are more convenient, portable, affordable and even easier to use.”

Ramon B. Nuez Jr., the founder of technology site Dads on Tech, says that the intersection of Hispanics and mobile devices is the continuation of the education and success of Latinos. READ MORE

While there can be debate about what it means, the unassailable fact is that Latino -owned businesses in the United States are growing at a blistering pace — in fact more than twice the national average. This trend has been sustained for at least the last decade and manifests itself both in the growing number and size of Latino- owned businesses. During the latest 5-year period for which information is available from the census bureau, Latino owned business’ revenue jumped by an astonishing 55% to nearly $350 billion. Some think that the census data underestimates the economic clout of Latino businesses, estimating the sales of such businesses in 2008 at $547 billion. Many are very substantial businesses with numerous employees: the number of Latino- owned businesses with more than $1 million in revenue grew to over 44,000 in 2007, up from just 29,000 five years earlier.

The experts expect that this trend will continue over the next decade. Latino-owned businesses are expected to increase their total revenue contribution to the economy by 8% annually over the 10 years from 2005 to 2015. This is more than three times the average growth for all businesses. What does this mean: Latinos will have more economic clout, employ a greater proportion of the population and purchase substantially more in goods and services than they do today. Already this trend has had a major impact in states with large Latino populations. For example, more than 20 % of all businesses in New Mexico, Florida and Texas are owned by Latinos, and even in the state with the largest economy, California, the figure is fast approaching 20%. READ MORE

2011 is almost gone. For Latinos in the United States, it was primarily a year to forget.

Life hasn't been good, and Hispanics have suffered the same fate as the much of the general population: persistent unemployment, political uncertainty and a deep sense of dejection. But as a group, their fate was worse: according to the Department of Labor, last month, when the national unemployment rate was 8.3 percent, for Latinos it reached 11.4 percent.

Among veterans returning from Iraq unemployment reached 11.4 percent in general and 14 percent for Hispanics (and blacks).

In 2011, for the most part, Latino political influence in national affairs is almost non-existent. Neither Latino community representatives nor supporters could stop the onslaught of negative news. This year, just as in the two that came before, the Obama administration tried not to alienate independent and white voters by avoiding immigration reform as if it were leprosy. Obama’s election-year promise to offer a path to citizenship for many undocumented immigrants during his first year in office vanished in clouds of both stark reality and mere excuses.

At the same time, Washington deported undocumented immigrants in record numbers. Thus, in 2009 there were 389,834, 392,862 in 2010, and 396,606 by November 2011. This year, the number is expected to surpass 400,000 for the first time in history. READ MORE

Obviously Janice Min, editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter (THR), never got the memo. My memo, that is. The one I wrote to Xana Antunes, editor of Crain’s New York Business, after the magazine published its list of “50 Most Powerful Women in New York” and only featured a total of three non-white women and not one single Latina.

The current THR “Women in Entertainment: The Power 100” lists a wonderful group of accomplished women of which a total of nine are non-white, including two Latinas. This time, I can’t give Ms. Min the benefit of the doubt as I gave Ms. Antunes. I don’t think the reason for this faux pas is a lack of diversity in her professional network from which to draw recommendations. This time, there’s something else at play given that there are major media networks not even represented on the THR list. READ MORE

As Yolanda Martinez-Schneider made her way through the Spanish-labeled aisles of El Ahorro grocery store on Monday afternoon, she filled her basket with ingredients for some of her favorite meals.

With celery and oregano for her chicken and dumplings, a can of fruit cocktail for a healthy yet tasty snack, crushed red pepper and a pig's head for her tamales, Martinez's shopping cart looked like that of a growing number of U.S. consumers - a mixture of both traditional American and ethnic foods.

While Hispanic grocery markets are grossing $90 billion a year, the demand for other types of ethnic food beyond the "big three" - Mexican, Chinese and Italian - is steadily increasing, as seen by the influx of more niche grocery stores and increased ethnic products on the shelves of major grocery retailers.

"It's a good challenge that we need to stay on top of emerging trends in markets," said Doug Wallace, general manager for H-E-B Plus on Navarro Street. "We listen to our customers. When they ask for items, we do everything we can to source them." READ MORE

Just in time for the holidays, the flower experts at FTD(R) have launched a Spanish language version of the FTD.COM website making it easy for Spanish speakers to find the perfect gift for everyone on their gift lists. The website is now live at http://es.ftd.com .

"We have long recognized the importance of the Hispanic market to the flower and gift business. FTD wants to ensure that Spanish-speaking customers have the opportunity to send beautiful flowers and gifts to friends and family around the world," said Rob Apatoff, President of FTD. "Our new Spanish language site features the same products and pricing as the existing English language site and offers a wide selection of beautiful flowers, blooming plants, gourmet treats, and gifts for every occasion, from major holidays like Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Mother's Day to birthdays, sympathy occasions, and more."

FTD offers a wide assortment of floral arrangements, plants and gifts for the holidays ranging from traditional poinsettias, wreaths, and centerpieces to jewelry, gift baskets, and gourmet treats like Godiva chocolates and Mrs. Fields cookies.

The FTD business is supported by the Mercury Man logo, which is displayed in approximately 40,000 florist shops worldwide. Consumers who visit FTD.COM in Spanish or English can send flowers and plants to most countries in Latin America. READ MORE