Free Republic

BRISTOL, Conn. — Even gun makers want to be liked. So governors and other politicians from states eager to embrace the industry have descended on places where they are not so popular — like Connecticut, Maryland, New York and Colorado — offering tax breaks and outright cash grants to persuade them to relocate. “I sensed an opportunity,” said Alan Clemmons, a South Carolina state representative, who traveled to Connecticut in the spring as part of a successful effort to lure PTR, a maker of assault rifles here. “They are not feeling loved right now in Connecticut. We’re delighted to have...

The National Council of La Raza's annual convention in downtown Los Angeles today is turning out to be a who's who of Latino power brokers - with local politicians rearranging their schedules and attendees buzzing about who will come. But behind all the schmoozing and banquets, one of the nation's best-known civil rights groups is courting a lower-profile player, one some say is just as powerful a player: hometown associations. The hundreds of associations - built up over decades by tens of thousands of expatriates who send home billions of dollars a year - are increasingly flexing their political muscle...

<p>LOS ANGELES -- Gov. Gray Davis' supporters appealed to Latino voters Thursday by staging a press conference of Latino leaders who denounced the attempted recall of the governor and the Republican congressman who's financed the signature-gathering effort.</p> <p>The press conference, coupled with a speech by Davis tonight at the Southwest Voters Registration Education Project's annual fund-raising dinner in Los Angeles, shows a renewed emphasis on winning over one of the fastest-growing segments of California's electorate.</p>