By JOSE ARMAS, Hispanic Link

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Republicans created the Hispanic Leadership Network last year in an attempt to re-capture the Latino vote they lost in the 2008 presidential election. George Bush claimed an impressive 44 percent of that support in his 2004 presidential run. It shriveled to 31 percent when John McCain ran against Barack Obama in 2008.

Should Latinos vote Republican again?Just kidding.Without question, today's Latino voter has become a much more sophisticated constituent.Having been disillusioned with the Democrats for a long time, in the 2004 presidential election a record 40 percent of Latinos voted Republican.That was an increase from the 35 percent in the 2000 election (another record).