Latino Democrats endorse Gore
September 14, 1999
Web posted at: 5:15 p.m. EDT (2115 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Vice President Al Gore accepted the endorsements of several hundred Latino elected officials Tuesday, telling them he shared their commitment to "familia, educacion, amor de patria, communidad, y Dios," which translates to "family, education, love of country, community and God."
The elected officials announcing their support for Gore included members of Congress, California Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante, state attorneys general, and dozens of state assembly members, mayors, city council members and school board representatives.
Rep. Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) praised Gore for supporting the Latino community all the time not just "showing up at election time."
Gore criticized congressional Republican budget plans for cutting education, health care and tax credits that he said have been particularly helpful to Latinos.
In a jab at leading Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the Republican presidential front-runner, Gore said "one-quarter of all children in Texas have no health insurance." Gore added that many of those children are Latinos.
Bush has reached out to Hispanic voters as Texas governor and often, as Gore does, speaks in Spanish during campaign speeches.
Gore is spending much of this week focusing on Latino voters. He attended an Hispanic Arts Gala in Nashville Monday and will speak at the annual Congressional Hispanic Caucus dinner on Wednesday in Washington.
The endorsement comes just after the environmental group Friends of the Earth endorsed Gore's rival for the Democratic nomination, former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley. (full story)
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