Yesterday, GOP senate candidate Carly Fiorina hosted a town hall meeting with Latino business leaders at a Cuban-American San Diego restaurant, focusing on fiscal topics such as job creation, reducing the national debt, and encouraging economic growth.
It was a timely message for the restaurant’s co-owner, Dan Mera, who told San Diego TV station KUSI that he feared his restaurant would go under if the Bush tax cuts were not extended. And for Hispanics, who face a much higher nationwide unemployment rate (11.9 percent) than average (9.5 percent), job creation is a message that may resonate.
Fiorina, who is about three points behind Sen. Barbara Boxer in the latest polls, has had trouble gaining backing from Latinos. A Los Angeles Times/USC poll showed Boxer 38 points ahead among Latinos, although the SurveyUSA poll released this week gave Boxer a much smaller 19-point lead among Hispanics. Nearly 20 percent of California voters are Latino.