President Barack Obama told the Des Moines Register yesterday that if he is to win a second term, it will be largely because of his lead among Latino voters, adding that he will accomplish immigration reform in the next year.
The interview, conducted on Tuesday on the condition that it was off the record, was released on Wednesday by the White House after the paper posted a blog post revealing the conversation and calling on the president to make it public. Republicans seized on the controversy as a sign the Obama administration wasn't being transparent. Romney conducted an in-person interview with the paper earlier this month.
"The second thing I’m confident we’ll get done next year is immigration reform," Obama told the Iowa paper's publisher and editor — a promise he has not made publicly.
"And since this is off the record, I will just be very blunt," Obama added. "Should I win a second term, a big reason I will win a second term is because the Republican nominee and the Republican Party have so alienated the fastest-growing demographic group in the country, the Latino community."
In the interview, Obama highlighted issues that aren't traditionally part of his stump speech, including fuel efficiency and eliminating needless regulations.