LOS ANGELES - Hispanics and African-Americans, who had already shown new clout in the early Democratic presidential primaries in Nevada and South Carolina, again demonstrated their growing political power yesterday in a slew of races in Super Tuesday states.
Early exit polls reflected what the campaigns and pollsters had concluded weeks ago: that Obama would capture an overwhelming majority of the African-American vote, boosting him in the deep South, and that Clinton would do very well among Latinos, buttressing her efforts in the West.
Obama collected an average of 80 percent of the African-American vote in the Super Tuesday states, according to exit polls, winning Georgia last night with 88 percent of the African-American vote and Alabama with 82 percent of the African-American vote. And while the Illinois senator as expected lost Clinton's home state of New York, his campaign calculated that a his strong showing among African-Americans in New York City could peel away some delegates in the Empire State.
Clinton, meanwhile, won over 6 of 10 Latino voters nationwide, according to exit polls in the 22 Democratic primary and caucus states, helping her win New Jersey. The New York lawmaker made her close relationship with the Hispanic community a key part of her strategy in delegate-rich California and elsewhere in the West.
Their respective strengths widened their respective wins in their home states: Obama took 94 percent of the Illinois African-American vote, while Clinton won three-fourths of New York's Hispanic vote.
Obama made late efforts to woo the Latino vote, with moderate success. He won Colorado, where the Latino vote is important.
While voters in both communities said they liked both candidates, Obama's advantage among African-American voters was more dramatic than Clinton's edge among Latinos, giving him an extra push in some states. And while Hispanics make up a much bigger portion of the electorate than African-Americans in some districts, especially in California, African-Americans are a more cohesive and energized voter base, said David Bositis, an analyst with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
Hispanic voters in California said in interviews that they felt a deep connection to Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who appointed several high-profile Latinos to his cabinet. In Hispanic neighborhoods in Los Angeles, "Hillary" signs were hung in Spanish-speaking markets, and when asked how they would cast their ballot, some voters who spoke little English said simply: "Clinton."
"She has the vote of the Latino community. When Mr. Clinton was in the White House, it was the best time for Latinos," said Veronica Bordillo, 50, of Los Angeles.
Clinton "is more reasonable than Obama," said 56-year-old Jesse Gutierrez, as he entered a polling place in south Los Angeles.
But while Clinton was winning a strong majority of Hispanic voters last night, Obama was performing stunningly well among African-Americans, according to exit polls. While Bill Clinton long enjoyed a close relationship with African-American voters - an advantage the Clinton camp hoped would win her some of that voter group - the presence of a viable African-American on the ballot was too powerful to ignore, many African-American voters said in interviews.
"She's a good woman," Deborah Hearns, 50, said of Clinton as she left a polling place in Watts, a heavily African-American neighborhood in Los Angeles. "But I see a black president in the White House before I see a woman."
John Taylor, 63, said he felt a strong sense of pride in seeing an African-American man with a serious chance of leading the country. "I think it's time that a black man was president. That's going to be good for all black people. I like Hillary, but I think it's time a black person gets a chance," he said.
