Iowa Latinos emerging as small, but potentially significant political force

*I’ve been intrigued by the Latinos-in-Iowa story. They’re 5 percent of the population, yet the presidential campaigns and Latino organizations are spending a lot of time and energy registering, motivating and mobilizing Latino voters there. I’m putting together a poscast with  some of the Democratioc candidate’s Laitno  staff who are on the ground in Iowa (as well as some surrogates) and I hope to have it done by the end of the week. I don’t remember Iowa ever bing such a big deal for Latinos, so this is new (to me, anyway). VL

By Elizabeth Llorente, Fox News Latino

WEST LIBERTY, IOWA –  There’s the annual county fair. Country music plays on most radio stations. The miles of cornfields seem to go on endlessly. The view of the open sky is virtually uninterrupted, except for the many silos. An occasional roadside store punctuates stretches of dirt roads.

But in this unmistakably rural state, proudly an emblem of the heartland, there have been changes – Virgen de Guadalupe processions, eateries that serve authentic Mexican food, annual Latino festivals and supermarket aisles filled with Goya products.

Latinos are a growing part of this farm state, still a relatively small part – about 5 percent – of its overall population, but now its largest minority group. Latinos are influencing life in the communities where they have reached significant numbers. In some places, such as West Liberty, they even have become the majority.

Click HERE to read the full story.