Obama Campaign Targeting Pennsylvania Latinos

A top Democratic National Committee official came to South Bethlehem Wednesday to launch a push to organize Latino voters in support of President Barack Obama's re-election campaign.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, who is vice chairman of the DNC, met with Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, Allentown Councilman Julio Guridy and members of the Pennsylvania Latinos for Obama Steering Committee on Wednesday.

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That steering committee includes Theresa Donate of Bethlehem, a professor at , and Fountain Hill Mayor Jose Rosado.

“From now until November, we are going to keep working to spread the word about all that President Obama has done and will continue to do to strengthen economic security for the middle class and families right here in Bethlehem, throughout the Lehigh Valley, and across Pennsylvania," Callahan said at a SouthSide event to mark the beginning of the effort

It appears the Obama campaign is in the same vacant Third Street space where Wednesday's event was held.

“The choice in this election could not be more clear for Latino voters, President Obama is focused on restoring basic economic security to Hispanics while Mitt Romney is on the wrong side of every issue important to Hispanics," said Rybak, during the same event.

"Not only is he extreme in his views on immigration and education, Latinos stand to lose the most from Romney’s insistence on failed economic policies that brought our economy to brink of collapse, his belief that we should let foreclosures 'hit the bottom' and his commitment to slashing health care and education funding.”

The Obama campaign is boosting efforts to get the powerful voting bloc of Latino voters involved by launching its first Spanish-language TV and radio ads of the 2012 election and starting a new grassroots organizing group, according to ABC News.