Elections in California: most of the attention has gone to the Brown v. Whitman race for the governorship of that state.  However, there’s an equally critical race when it comes to the interests of the Latino vote: the race between Carly Fiorina and Barbara Boxer for that state’s seat in the United States Senate.  As featured this week on Project Economic Refugee, Carly Fiorina is being backed by foreign interests that want her as a U.S. Senator because she would support sending jobs overseas instead of keeping them here in America where Latinos could sure use them.

Now, as if that weren’t enough, Fiorina has received the endorsement of right-wing extremist and Tea Party darling Sarah Palin; via Politico:

Carly Fiorina, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, has frequently touted her endorsement from Palin, but the survey shows Palin may be a drag on Fiorina’s numbers.

Fifty-three percent of those surveyed said they would be less inclined to vote for a candidate endorsed by Palin, while only 21 percent said they would be more inclined.

Among those who said they plan to vote in the Senate race, 47 percent of Fiorina supporters said they were more likely to back a candidate because of Palin’s support. But 84 percent of Boxer supporters said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate with Palin’s blessing. 

The Fiorina campaign is not concerned about Palin’s poll numbers. “Voters are evaluating the candidates in this race as individuals,” said Fiorina spokeswoman Andrea Saul.

Sarah Palin is in perfect company with Carly Fiorina, of course, being that Fiorina herself has come out in support of Arizona’s SB 1070 law and, like Meg Whitman, wants a guest worker program and has so far ran away from clear support of a “path to legalization“.  Support for a guest worker program with no path to legalization would be the equivalent to using up workers and sending them back with not even a thank you or show of gratitude.  By contrast, Senator Boxer has made her position crystal clear: she supports a path to legalization while Carly Fiorina has fumbled.  Via a Los Angeles Times live blogging of their Sept. 29 debate:

Fiorina refused numerous times to talk about what she would do about the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants who are currently in the country. 

..not only that, but Barbara Boxer has demonstrated a superb record promoting the advancement of Latinos in our society like voting to confirm our first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor and voting YES to move the DREAM Act forward (which all Republicans and a couple of conservative Democrats ended up killing).  So what does Carly Fiorina have to offer to the Latino community?  How can Fiorina expect Latinos to take her seriously if she’s pal’ing around with such a hateful person like Sarah Palin and run away from support of worker programs that would lead to a path to legalization like the AgJobs?  For more information on Fiorina, visit this Facebook group.

Update: looks like as a result of Fiorina sinking in the polls with Latinos, she has chosen to air ads in Spanish to attack gay Latinos.  Via HispanicLA:

In a desperate attempt to win the votes of the Latino community, today the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the anti-gay extremist group fervently focused on denying same-sex couples the right to marry, has released a Spanish television ad attacking U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer for supporting the right for same-sex couples to marry. The ad [watch it here] falsely argues that Latinos oppose the freedom to marry for same-sex couples and that Senator Boxer opposes comprehensive immigration reform. These allegations, however, are complete lies. The truth is that a majority of California’s Latinos now support basic rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as well as the right to marry. Additionally, Senator Boxer, a leading champion of full equality for all, has long fought for comprehensive immigration reform.

[…] NOM’s ad is based on the false premise that because the majority of Latinos identify as Catholic and Christian, they oppose civil marriage rights for same-sex couples by default. Yet we know that Catholic Latinos are among the most supportive groups of the freedom to marry. In fact, in July, the Public Religion Research Institute released poll findings that show 57 percent of Catholic Latinos are supportive of the right for same-sex couples to marry. Furthermore, the California Field Poll published in June also found that a majority of Latinos in California support the right for same-sex couples to marry. The misleading ad is not simply problematic because of the anti-gay messaging, but also because it attempts to scare Latinos away from supporting Senator Boxer by lying about her stance on immigration.

[…] The most troubling aspect about the ad is the inappropriate timing. As our country mourns the loss of the many students (about ten, not including unreported incidents) who tragically committed suicide because of anti-gay bullying, NOM has chosen to add fuel to the flame by ratcheting up its anti-gay rhetoric, which fosters a hostile environment that leads to bullying and hate-crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. I am not exactly sure how NOM, the Susan B. Anthony List, the American Principles Project, and the rest of the anti-gay extremists who are behind this ad are able to sleep at night.

As a gay Latino, I know firsthand just how dangerous and painful seeing this type of anti-gay propaganda can be, especially when you are young. While Latinos along with other Californians need good jobs and solutions to our economic crisis, NOM and Fiorina have simply missed the mark. It’s time to put aside these ugly campaign tactics, and instead focus on creating economically stable, safe and healthy communities.