Fox News Latino Highlighted Importance Of Pressing Republican Presidential Candidates On Latino Issues

Fox News Latino: Lack Of Conversations With Presidential Candidates About Latino Issues “Not For Lack Of Trying By Major Latino Organizations.” Fox News Latino highlighted the growing importance of pressing presidential candidates on Latino issues “as Latinos become an important voting bloc” in an October 5 article. Elizabeth Llorente reported that presidential candidates -- particularly Republicans -- rarely agree to participate in forums hosted by major Latino organizations -- with the most recent exception being Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) -- writing “If presidential candidates have not been grilled extensively on Latino issues ... it's not for lack of trying by major Latino organizations.” From Fox News Latino (emphasis added):

Sen. Ted Cruz was first.

Sen. Bernie Sanders was second, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley third.

Tomorrow, it will be Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Real estate mogul Donald Trump was set for Thursday, but backed out at the last minute. Sen. Marco Rubio, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed to take part at still-to-be-determined dates.

These men and women who would be president are part of the growing roster of candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties who've sat - or were scheduled to sit - on stage to field questions, some grilling, before a roomful of Latino business leaders and media as part of the new Q&A series by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

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The publicity - and the firestorm of criticism toward Trump for backing out - has cast a spotlight on what has been the growing prominence and influence of the chamber as Latinos become an important voting bloc.

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If presidential candidates have not been grilled extensively on Latino issues in a forum similar to that of the USHCC, it's not for lack of trying by major Latino organizations.

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But notably, those agreeing to make such appearances before Latino groups have been the exception - most of the time Democrats - with most preferring to avoid what they have seen as a no-win situation. [Fox News Latino, 10/5/15]

While Fox News' Coverage Has Led The Charge In Discouraging Republican Presidential Candidates From Courting Hispanic Voters

Fox's Andrea Tantaros Mocked Hillary Clinton's Dinner At Chipotle As “Hispanic Outreach.” On the April 14 edition of Fox News' Outnumbered, co-host Andrea Tantaros mocked Hillary Clinton's visit to an Iowa Chipotle restaurant by speculating it was “Hispanic outreach.” [Fox News, Outnumbered, 4/14/15]

Fox News Contributor Instructs GOP Presidential Candidates To Follow Trump's Lead On Immigration. On the July 2 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom, contributor Monica Crowley instructed GOP presidential candidates to emulate Donald Trump after he characterized Mexican immigrants as criminals and “rapists”:

CROWLEY: Listen, voters want a straight-talker. And, is he brash? Is he outspoken? Absolutely. But he is also giving voice to what a lot of voters are believing about the state of the country right now, and he is fearlessly doing it. I mean, the question about whether or not he is good for the Republican party I think is immaterial because he is performing two great services for the rest of the candidates, if they're smart enough to follow his lead. Number one: he is not caving into the leftist intimidation tactics, right, they are going after Univision, they are going after Macy's, they're going after NBC and they have all caved, and Donald Trump says “no, statistics back me up on the significant criminal element coming over the border, I can back up everything that I'm saying and I'm not apologizing.” That is a big lesson for conservatives and Republicans going forward. [Fox News, America's Newsroom, 7/2/15]

Fox's Kilmeade Criticized Presidential Candidates' Use Of Spanish Language. Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade criticized presidential candidate Jeb Bush's use of Spanish-language, saying when you overhear reporters speaking in Spanish you think “What country are we in?”:

KILMEADE: I tell you, I agree with Donald Trump because I've been in the locker room before when there is Spanish speaking, especially the soccer locker room and now the baseball locker room, and when the Spanish reporters are talking to the player in Spanish, we sit around and go 'what's going on here? What country are we in?' I think that unless it is a Spanish speaking group of press, I think Donald Trump is 100 percent right. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 9/3/15]