WASHINGTON, DC -- Today the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund announced it is a co-host of The Congressional Hispanic Institute’s (CHCI) Presidential Candidates Forum, to be held as part of its 2007 Public Policy Conference.  The Forum will take place on October 3, 2007 at the Washington, DC Convention Center.  The NALEO Educational Fund’s participation as a co-host of the CHCI Presidential Candidates Forum is made possible through the support of The Ford Motor Company.

The NALEO Educational Fund remains at the forefront of engaging the 2008 Presidential Candidates on the issues most critical to the American and Latino populations.  Seven of the Democratic contenders and one Republican in the 2008 presidential campaign participated in a candidate forum hosted by NALEO in Orlando, Florida on June 29 and 30.  The forum was part of the organization’s 24th Annual Conference, which brought together over 1,200 Latino elected and appointed officials and other leaders from across the nation.

“The issues that concern the Latino community are going to be paramount in future U.S. elections,” said Arturo Vargas, Executive Director of the NALEO Educational Fund.  “We’re looking forward to participating in yet another platform for the candidates to engage the community on the wide range of matters we care about and look forward to more opportunities for the candidates to address this important segment of the American electorate.  We are grateful to The Ford Motor Company for making our participation possible.”