The Firewall: Latino Voters in the 2008 Primaries and General Election.

Latino voters were mobilized in unique ways in the 2008 primaries and general election. The primary season presented a politically unique environment for Latino voters: the presence of a co-ethnic candidate, unprecedented targeted advertising, and heightened media attention throughout the primary season. The general election also saw Latino voters play a critical role in swing states, giving Latinos unprecedented political clout in a presidential election. In this paper we explore Latino candidate preferences as a function of enthusiasm for specific candidates coupled with unprecedented mobilization efforts. Unique datasets of registered Latino voters in both the primaries and the general election are employed to test the relationship between candidate preferences and the political environment. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]