By Jeremy Walsh
State Assemblyman Jose Peralta (D-Jackson Heights) and state Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. (D-Bronx) sent letters to the presidential hopeful last week expressing concern over Doyle's departure.”That letter was a message sent to Hillary Clinton that we as elected officials are keeping an eye on her campaign,” said Peralta, who sits on the Assembly's Black, Puerto Rican and Hispanic Caucus and the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force.Doyle resigned Feb. 10, after Clinton's rival, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) won the Louisiana primary and caucuses in Washington state and Nebraska. She cited family concerns that led her to step down from the position.Her replacement, Maggie Williams, a black woman, served as Clinton's White House counsel during Bill Clinton's presidency.Hillary Clinton selected Doyle to run the campaign in December 2006. She first started working with Clinton during Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign.Peralta said he and other Democrats accepted Clinton's explanation that Doyle left on her own accord and was not forced to quit.When asked if he was worried that Clinton was turning her back on the Latino vote, Peralta said, “Latinos have been a driving force in her campaign in every state.”According to exit polls conducted by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International for the National Election Pool, Clinton won 64 percent of Latino votes to 34 percent for Obama in the 24 primary elections held so far.Clinton's campaign may be headed for more victories in the coming months. Recent Quinnipiac College polls showed Clinton in the lead among Ohio voters with 55 percent, compared with Obama's 31 percent. Among primary voters in Pennsylvania, Quinnipiac showed Clinton leading 52 percent to Obama's 36 percent.Ohio's primary election is March 4, while Pennsylvania's is April 22.Reach reporter Jeremy Walsh by e-mail at jwalsh@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
