Obama leads McCain among Latino voters, wins over Villaraigosa

"A new Gallup Poll summary of surveys taken in May shows Obama winning 62% of Latino registered voters nationwide, compared with just 29% for McCain. Others have found a wide gap as well. The pro-Democratic group Democracy Corps compiled surveys from March through May that showed Obama with a 19-point lead among Latinos," writes The Times'  Peter Wallsten in this story. "And a Times poll published last month showed Obama leading McCain among California Latinos by 14 points."

"The numbers suggest that McCain's image has suffered after a competitive GOP primary in which he renounced some of the moderate views on immigration popular among many Latinos. For example, McCain, who was a chief sponsor of legislation creating a path to citizenship for most of the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, now says he believes the government must focus first on securing the U.S.-Mexico border before dealing with illegal workers."

The new position helped mollify some conservatives who viewed McCain as soft on illegal immigration. But it now leaves the senator forced to come from behind in an area that was supposed to be a strength.

"If the McCain people don't realize they need to beef up that operation, then clearly he's not going to be president," said Robert de Posada, a Republican consultant on Latino politics.

Meanwhile, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says he plans to support Obama's candidacy and has no regrets about his previous strong backing of Hillary Clinton.

-- Reed Johnson in Mexico City

Photo: Mayor Villaraigosa. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times