Why speaking Spanish matters to presidential hopefuls in Iowa

The population growth has spurred many Democrats seeking the nomination to face President Donald Trump in November to hire Latino or Spanish-speaking staff and tailor some campaign events to court Latinos, while activists have scrambled to register new Hispanic voters and maximize their clout.

It has also changed the nature of life in some cities and towns in Iowa. In West Liberty, a small Hispanic-majority community with 3,700 residents, the school system has a dual-language program and some churches hold two services, one in English and one in Spanish.

"It has strengthened the town to have two cultures living and working together, with mutual respect, and it opens the door to more people moving here," said Brenda Arthur-Miller, the high school principal in West Liberty and director of the dual language program.

But the growth in Iowa's Hispanic population, a community largely of Mexican heritage, so far has not been matched by progress in its political power. Language barriers have hindered participation, particularly in the sometimes confusing caucuses.

Hispanic activists estimate as few as 3,000 Latinos participated in Iowa's 2016 presidential caucuses, out of more than 50,000 who were registered to vote.

To help remedy that, the state Democratic Party has agreed to at least five Spanish-language satellite caucus sites on Monday. Some local officials are scrambling to get interpreters in place at other locations.

The League of United Latin American Citizens, a Hispanic advocacy group known more commonly as LULAC, launched a registration drive it says has signed up 10,000 new Hispanic voters ahead of Monday's caucuses. It also held mock caucus sessions to spread the word on the process and help train potential voters on how they work.

"Our long-term goal is to keep doing the same thing through the November election and beyond. We want to keep the momentum going," said Nick Salazar, state director of LULAC and state co-chairman of the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign.

The crowded field of Democratic presidential contenders has made up for it in this campaign, however, heavily courting Latinos in the state ahead of a general election campaign likely to be influenced by Trump's divisive rhetoric and policies on immigration.

For instance, the Sanders campaign, which has hosted more than a dozen "Unidos con Bernie" events around the state, created a Spanish-language digital ad featuring Sanders' father, who immigrated to the United States from Poland.