phase II: More on La Raza - Dallas Morning News (reg. req.)

Democrats Courting Texans

State a battleground for Hispanics, presidential campaign cash

Dr. Dean spoke...beginning his speech in Spanish and ending with attacks against Mr. Bush.

"I believe that this president, who says he's a uniter and not a divider, is a terrible divider," Dr. Dean said. "He's divided us by race by use of the word quotas, and he's divided us by gender by his attack on a woman's right to make her own reproductive decisions. To bring everyone together, we have to reach out to every community."

Raul Yzaguirre, president of the National Council of La Raza and a Texas native, said that the Democrats should not rely on the past elections in which Hispanics largely supported their party. "We don't care what your political party is, and we are not intimidated by current popularity," he said. "What we care about is respect and results."

For now, some Democrats are looking over the field and some are making their picks. "People need to educate themselves about the candidates, and meetings like this help expose us to the candidates and the important issues," said Mr. Saldana, the advertising executive.

Cesar De Paz, a medical student from Galveston, said he's impressed by Dr. Dean and his emphasis on health care. "He's a governor, and he has put his words to work and he can back them up," he said.