"Those of us who are Latinos, we know we're family-oriented," said Rodriquez, the national president of the United Farmworkers of America, as he stood next to Sen. Mark Udall. "So we've got to be cien por ciento — we've got to be 100 percent — in ensuring that all of our family votes."
For Udall, that Latino turnout could make all the difference in a tight race against Republican challenger, U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner. Also at stake, potentially, is Democrats' control of the U.S. Senate.
"The Hispanic vote is ultimately what Mark Udall's hopes rest on," said Kevin Ingham at Strategies 360, a Denver political consulting firm that focused on Latino voters in a survey released Wednesday. "If they do not turn out, then the race is going to end up going to Gardner."
Two years ago, Latinos were 14 percent of voters when President Barack Obama won Colorado. They also helped Sen. Michael Bennet eke out a 2010 victory.
The question this year is whether Latino voters, disenchanted after years of inaction on immigration reform, will continue to boost Democrats to victory.
