Velazquez: Hispanics Know McCain

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By Azi Paybarah

June 6, 2008 | 2:15 p.m

Representative Nydia Velazquez of Brooklyn warned again today that Barack Obama has a lot of work to do with Hispanic voters--a consistent notion among some concerned supporters, but one that the L.A. Times seemed to contradict today.

Velazquez supported Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, but endorsed Obama with the rest of the New York Congressional delegation yesterday.

Here’s what she said during an appearance on NBC's News Forum, which she and City Council member Helen Foster (an Obama supporter) taped earlier today. A partial transcript sent over by the station:

Ms. VELAZQUEZ: Our target is November and the Republicans. But one thing that Senator Obama needs to understand is that McCain has a positive image among Hispanics in this country, that 66 percent of the Hispanic population lives in states that were lost by Senator Obama. So there is a lot of work that needs to be done...

Ms. FOSTER: Absolutely.

Ms. VELAZQUEZ: ...because McCain is known in the Latino community.