The influence of Latinos is growing beyond just votes in the presidential election. More and more are becoming prominent financial players in President Obama’s re-election bid.
At least 15 Latinos rank among the individuals who have committed to raising $50,000 or more for the Obama campaign this year, compared to the 10 who appeared on the campaign’s list of bundlers in 2008, according to an article on Huffington Post Latino by Janelle Ross.
As pointed out in the article, “Bundlers, usually well-to do or at least well-connected individuals, commit to raise funds for candidates by collecting donations of up to $5,000 from an unlimited number of individuals. And in the world of bundling, people of color do remain scarce.”
The influence of Latino bundlers on the Romney campaign is not known. Romney has declined to name any of his bundlers, making him the first Republican or Democratic presidential nominee to refuse to disclose bundler names since the 2000 election. In 2008, Romney disclosed the names of his bundlers.
Here is the list of major Latino bundlers, as reported by Huffington Post Latino.
- Roel Campos, a partner at the Washington D.C.-based Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell law firm.
- Eva Longoria, an actress who was appointed by President Barack Obama as one of the 35 national co-chairs behind his re-election campaign.
- Henry Muñoz III, CEO of Kell Muñoz Architects Inc, a Texas-based architecture firm.
- Eugene Sepulveda, CEO of the Austin-based Entrepreneurs Foundation of Central Texas.
- Andrés López, a Puerto-Rican born attorney who is a partner at San Juan’s The Law Offices of Andres W. Lopez,
- Andrés Guillemard, a Puerto Rican attorney and partner at the San Juan-based Nachman & Guillemard law firm.
- Roland Garcia,an attorney and shareholder at Houston’s Greenberg Traurig LLP.
- Rafael Ortiz, an investor who co-founded Nextag, Inc in 1999, the price comparison service website,
- Giselle Fernández, a five time Emmy winning journalist and producer based in California.
- Cecilia Soto-Loftus, entrepreneur and co-owner of the Malibu Paradise Productions, a party services company.
- Phil Suarez, CEO and President of New York’s Suarez Restaurant Group.
- Jesse Ruiz, Attorney at Chicago’s Drinker, Biddle and Reath law firm.
- Roberto Prats, law senior counsel and proprietary partner at Carlos & Prats, Attorneys at Law.
- Alfredo Balsera, communications consultant and founder and managing partner of Balsera Communications.
- Manuel Sanchez, founder and managing partner to the second largest minority-owned law firm in the country, the Chicago-based: Sanchez, Daniels & Hoffman LLP.
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