Murphy courts Latino voters in tight Senate race

AP Modified

MICHAEL MELIA, Associated Press

Updated: Oct 5, 2012 5:30 AM

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy is stepping up his courtship of Latino voters in the tight race for U.S. Senate.

Murphy says he will be a regular visitor to Latino neighborhoods between now and the Nov. 6 election. He also is planning to launch Spanish-language advertisements.

On Thursday he campaigned in Hartford with the city's Puerto Rico-born mayor, Pedro Segarra, and the island's delegate to the U.S. Congress, Pedro Pierluisi.

While Latino voters tilt Democratic, their votes are hardly a lock for Murphy. More than 71,000 of the state's estimated 176,700 registered Latino voters are unaffiliated, and community leaders say they are struck by how little either candidate — Murphy or his Republican opponent, Linda McMahon — have reached out to the Spanish-speaking population.

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