Press Archive

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 18, 2000

Hispano Congressional Preference
Leans Democratic in New Mexico
War on Drugs and Gun Safety Also a Concern

SAN ANTONIO, TX - In a recent poll conducted by the William C. Velásquez Institute (WCVI), Hispanos in New Mexico indicate 70.3% to 15%, that if the elections for your Congress person were held today, they would vote for a Democratic candidate, with 14.3% undecided. When asked about the Senate Race, support for Jeff Bingaman was 61.4% to 12.5% for Bill Redman.

In addition, Hispanic voters in New Mexico are increasingly critical on drug issues. When asked, 77.8% to 7% Hispanos felt the issue of drugs is a larger issue today than 10 years ago. When asked about the "War on Drugs" and its effectiveness in curbing the drug flow into the U.S., Hispanics said it was effective by 26.3% to 64.6% who feel it has not been effective. In another drug policy related question, lifting the ban on the federally funded needle exchange programs, 47.3% New Mexican Hispanics believe the government should lift the ban, with 31% opposed and 21.6% having no opinion. In terms of a recent authorization that would allow $1.32 billion for counter-drug activities in Colombia, in which three-quarters of the money will be used for Columbia's military and police, 51.8% disapprove to 35.9%, with 12.3% having no opinion. "When it comes to drug issues, Hispanics are increasingly critical, they favor providing clean needles especially when considering public health issues, and disapprove moneys going to Colombia," assesses Antonio González, President.

A final high-ranking preference of Hispanics in New Mexico includes the issue of firearms. When asked:

Finally, when asked, 79.5% to 14.4% favor laws requiring that all guns be sold with a trigger lock. "This is an important issue in the State of New Mexico and Hispanics are clearly saying that gun safety is important and should be addressed," concludes González.

Trained bilingual pollsters, operating from WCVI's call center in San Antonio, Texas conducted the WCVI survey. The survey was conducted September 22-26 among 501 registered Hispanic voters in the state of New Mexico. WCVI staff designed the instrument and managed the interviewers. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4%. The entire survey will be posted on www.wcvi.org.

GO TO COMPLETE NEW MEXICO SURVEY RESULTS