Latino Vote Helps Bernie Sanders Surge to Victory in Colorado in Massive Democratic Caucus Turnout
http://www.democracynow.org/2016/3/2/latino_vote_helps_bernie_sanders_surge

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: In the race to the White House, Democrat Bernie Sanders surged to victory last night in the Colorado caucus, along with Vermont, Oklahoma and Minnesota. Colorado has a growing Latino population, who make up nearly 15 percent of eligible voters in the state. Most of them are registered Democrats. Erika Andiola, the national Latina press secretary for Sanders, spoke to Democracy Now! last night outside of the Sanders victory party in Denver.

ERIKA ANDIOLA: Here, the Latino community is learning more and more about Bernie Sanders. We started at a disadvantage. Obviously, you know, we had an opponent that has been very well known within the Latino community, but who didn’t have the Latino community entirely on her side. And I think Bernie, every time he speaks, every time that he comes out, and the more and more momentum we gain, the more Latinos are able to learn who he is and the message that he brings. And more and more Latinos are getting tired of the establishment. They’re getting tired of the politics that are continuing to—you know, getting us stuck. We can’t get immigration reform. We can’t get so many changes in our healthcare system, in our education system, and that is because of the establishment politics. And Latinos are seeing it more and more. And they are definitely "feeling the Bern."

AMY GOODMAN: Erika Andiola, the national Latina press secretary for Sanders. Caucuses in Colorado are open only to registered party members. The state added nearly 30,000 registered Democrats in recent months, some of whom reportedly joined the party so they could caucus for Sanders.

Well, for more, we’re going directly to the Denver Open Media Center in Colorado, where we’re joined by two guests. Corey Hutchins is a journalist for The Colorado Independent, a nonprofit digital news outlet in Denver. And Dulce Saenz, the Colorado state director with the Bernie Sanders campaign. Still with us in New York, Donna Murch, associate professor of history at Rutgers.

Dulce Saenz, can you talk about this victory—it’s one of four that Bernie Sanders had in the country last night on Super Tuesday—and why you think he won in Colorado?

DULCE SAENZ: Absolutely. We are so incredibly excited that we won Colorado. You know, Coloradans have a spirit of pioneering. It’s part of our history here in Colorado. And, you know, currently, we see about a third Democrat, a third Republican and a third independent. And so, that division that Sanders is talking about, the independence he’s talking about, you know, is really speaking to Coloradans here.

AMY GOODMAN: And, Corey Hutchins, can you explain how the whole system works in Colorado—I mean, the fact that Republicans weren’t also caucusing for their presidential candidate, and how the Democratic caucus works? I heard it was totally chaotic.