Democrats look to local Hispanic leaders in anti-GOP efforts

WASHINGTON—Democrats sought Tuesday to tap into their networks of local Hispanic leaders to increase party support and turnout in the effort to deny Republican Sen. John McCain the presidency.

The Democratic National Committee, in announcing its 2008 Hispanic Leadership Council, accused McCain of betraying Hispanics on immigration reform and failing to address critical issues such as the economy in an ad he produced in Spanish in New Mexico.

The council is made up of Hispanic professionals, business owners, activists and community leaders who have given at least $5,000 to the Democratic Party. It's led by Gilberto Ocanas, a Texas-based consultant who has worked on four presidential campaigns, and Ingrid Duran, a Washington consultant and former CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.

"We shouldn't wait for people to engage us. We should engage our own folks," Ocanas said.

Republican National Committee spokesman Danny Diaz dismissed the criticism and said that McCain, the likely GOP nominee, "has the track record, the judgment and character to address the challenges America faces with all segments of the electorate, including Hispanics."

The GOP already has Hispanic team leaders working every day to get out the Hispanic vote and an advisory board working with the chairman on outreach to the Hispanic community, Diaz said.

"The Democrats may be announcing their effort, but we've been executing ours for 365 days a year," he said.

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On the Net:

Democratic National Committee: http://www.democrats.org/

Republican National Committee: http://www.rnc.org

(This version CORRECTS the spelling of Ocanas.)