Latino Leaders Endorse Obama

In a stunning blow to Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton - and her surrogate in Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - the Mexican American Political Association has endorsed Senator Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for President.

On the heels of the endorsement of the Illinois Senator by labor leader Maria Elena Durazo Clinton's prospects of gaining significant support amongst California's Latinos appears to be fading.

Motivating the decision has been the campaign tactics of the Clintons in South Carolina and elsewhere that some have criticized as being race baiting.

MAPA's National President Nativo Lopez issued the following statement:

“Something nasty in the national campaigns reared its head over the past two weeks, which motivated us to consider another endorsement for a presidential candidate of the Democratic Party primary elections. We have observed with utter disgust the use of racially divisive and polarizing tactics employed by the Clintons, both Hillary and Bill, against Senator Barack Obama, not the first presidential candidate of African American origin. This is something that we would have expected from Republican candidates, but instead it surfaced from the bowels of the center-right institutional currents of the Democratic Party. The tactics are absolutely deplorable and clearly demonstrate what the Clintons think of all people of color."

Lopez' full statement can be viewed here.

Losing support of both the African American and Latino communities in Los Angeles could have a chilling effect on Clinton's prospects in California. It would have a greater impact and reflect poorly on politicians in the state such as Mayor Villaraigosa, Speaker of the Assembly Fabian Nunez and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom who've been working hard on behalf of the Clintons.