Senator Marco Rubio (Getty)

One of the most prominent Latinos in the Republican Party, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, addressed remarks about Latinos Mitt Romney was caught on tape making at a fundraiser during a press conference call today. The video of Mr. Romney sparked a massive firestorm after it was published by the liberal magazine Mother Jones, Mr. Rubio said he wasn't bothered by the portion of the clip where the Republican presidential candidate said he would have a better chance of winning the election if he was Latino.

"Well, I think he meant it as a joke," Mr. Rubio said with a laugh. "I think that's how most reasonable people would take it."

Among other controversial comments, the fundraiser footage showed Mr. Romney discussing the fact his father was born in Mexico to parents who were descended from American Mormons who moved to that country to escape a crackdown on polygamy in the United States.

"My dad, as you probably know, was the governor of Michigan and was the head of a car company. But he was born in Mexico. And had he been born of Mexican parents, I'd have a better shot of winning this," said Mr. Romney. "But he was unfortunately born to Americans living in Mexico. He lived there a number of years, and I mean I say that jokingly, but it would be helpful to be Latino."

On today's press conference call, Mr. Rubio pointed out this wasn't the first time Mr. Romney has made that type of remark and said he was certain it was meant in jest.

"It's not the first time he said something like it. He said something like that publicly with Jorge Ramos in January in Florida. He made a comment about, you know, how his dad had been born in Mexico and he chuckled about that," Mr. Rubio said. "It's just a joke, I dont necessarily think he meant anything by it other than that."

"I’m Craig Romney. I would like to tell you how my father, Mitt Romney, thinks.  He values very much that we are a nation of immigrants.  My grandfather George was born in Mexico. For our family the greatness of the United States is how we respect and help each other, regardless of where we come from," Craig says in the ad. 

Mitt Romney has, thus far, refrained from outlining a specific immigration policy. In the new commercial, Craig simply says his father "will work on a permanent solution to the immigration system, working with leaders of both parties."

Polls show President Barack Obama beating Mr. Romney by a wide margin among Latino voters and Republicans believe it may be vital for Mr. Romney to close this gap. However, polls also show immigration isn't necessarily the most important issue for Hispanic voters.

Watch Mr. Romney's new ad below.

President Obama

The Obama campaign released a new set of Spanish language television ads today that end with the president giving his standard "I'm Barack Obama and I approve this message" spiel en español. While his accent is not perfect, his Spanish is far better than Mayor Michael Bloomberg's.

President Obama's new Spanish ads focus on the president's record on jobs and healthcare and will air in Nevada, Colorado and Florida. According to the Obama campaign, they are "the third in a series of Spanish language television and radio ads highlighting the President’s record on issues of particular importance to the Hispanic community."

Watch one of President Obama's new Spanish-languages ads below. You can hear the president speaking Spanish about 26 seconds into the commercial.

Senator Ruben Diaz (Photo: RubenDiaz.com)

Always outspoken State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. is not pleased with redistricting proposals that would use space in the Bronx to create a predominantly Latino Congressional district or extend Charlie Rangel's district into Westchester. Mr. Diaz sent one of his periodic "What You Should Know" missives to supporters yesterday slamming the proposals.

"The Bronx is not a colony," Mr. Diaz wrote. "You should know that I am just calling it the way I see it: the way the district lines have been drawn for New York’s Congressional seats indicates to me that there are some people who still believe in colonies."

With Manhattan's demographics changing, some lawmakers have proposed uniting Mr. Rangel's district in Harlem with Mount Vernon via the Bronx to give him a seat with an African American majority along the lines of a proposal made by the NAACP. The Bronx and Manhattan Democratic parties have tussled over this plan since the borough holding the most of the district would control choosing a successor when the person occupying the seat retires. Latino activists and local politicians are pushing to create a new Latino district in the Bronx and Northern Manhattan in addition to Congressman Jose Serrano's district, which currently takes up much of the Bronx. Mr. Serrano is Puerto Rican and the new district would likely lead to the first Congressman of Dominican descent. Mr. Diaz cited these proposals, as well as a plan to extend Congresswoman Nita Lowey's district into the Bronx from White Plains and Westchester as "trying to divide the Bronx into parcels."

"Even though a new Congressional Hispanic District is among our highest consideration, we should not be blind and just sacrifice the entire borough for one new Congressional seat," Mr. Diaz wrote. "That said, I must insist again that the Bronx already has enough people to have its own Congressional seats without the need for outsiders to intrude in our ability to govern ourselves."

Mr. Diaz previously criticized the plan to change Mr. Rangel's district in a "What You Should Know" message sent late last month. In his most recent missive, Mr. Diaz expressed the fear Mr. Serrano's seat "might even be compromised by these plans." He said it would be unfair for the Bronx to lose Congressional seats since the borough's population is "booming" and compared the proposals to discriminatory 19th Century "gerrymandering." Legislative lines are redrawn every ten years based on census data and growing communities generally are given space in more Congressional districts.

"The Bronx is booming because of the hard work and dedication of Bronx elected leaders and representatives who created an environment for people to come to live in the Bronx. No matter what parcel they may be trying to give away to undermine the Black and Hispanic achievements in the Bronx – political and otherwise – we should realize that this tactic harkens back to the Reconstruction Era when gerrymandering was used to dilute the new found political strength of African Americans in the South," Mr. Diaz wrote.

Mr. Diaz finished his message encouraging other Bronxites to "come together and speak as one" against the redistricting proposals.

"We in the Bronx cannot accept this. We should not allow it. It is not right, and it should be stopped. I am Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz and this is what you should know," he wrote.

According to a State Senate staffer, current proposals for the new Latino Congressional seat include Washington Heights and Corona in Queens while majority of the district is located in the Bronx. This would leave room for Mr. Serrano to maintain his seat while giving the Bronx Democrats control over the new seat as well. While the original NAACP proposal for Mr. Rangel's district included Washington Heights and much of the Bronx, a source in the Legislature told The Politicker a new plan for the district allows Washington Heights to be part of the Latino district and decreases the territory in the Bronx by extending it into Queens. Under this plan, Mr. Rangel's district would include Randall's and Riker's Island. This would allow the district to include a contiguous swath stretching from Mount Vernon to Harlem and the predominantly black populations in Queens' Astoria and Queensbridge Houses in Queens via the islands.