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New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd (from Connecticut) have agreed to participate in a presidential debate conducted in Spanish.

The debate is scheduled for Sept. 9 at the University of Miami and will be hosted by Univision Communications, Inc., the nation's largest Spanish-language broadcaster. The network's programming is available in most Iowa markets via cable and satellite television.

Univision press statements indicate this is the first presidential debate conducted in Spanish. Simultaneous translation, however, would be provided to candidates and viewers.

News of the debate comes just weeks after Univision's highly successful citizenship drive was scheduled to move from a pilot program in Los Angeles to a national campaign. During the program in Los Angeles, citizenship applications jumped 123 percent compared with the same period in the previous year. Meanwhile, applications increased 59 percent in areas not targeted by the campaign. A large surge in the Hispanic voting bloc could sway not only the 2008 elections but also the upcoming presidential preference primaries and caucuses. Consider that these new citizens often favor Democratic candidates by a 2-to-1 margin, and that President George W. Bush claimed narrow victories in heavily Latino states in 2004.

In 2003, the U.S. Census reported the Hispanic population had become the largest minority in the nation, and it projected Latinos will make up 25 percent of the U.S. population by 2050.

As Alexander Bolton aptly points out, this places many of the hopefuls -- especially the 'front-runners' -- in a bind. Candidates fluent in Spanish would speak directly to the audience in that language. Non-speakers would have their responses translated. Further, the debate is being hosted live in Florida, a key primary state in 2008, where Hispanics or Latinos make up nearly 20 percent of the population.

In contrast, the U.S. Census estimates there are roughly 120,000 individuals in Iowa who are of Hispanic or Latino origin. This constitutes nearly 4 percent of the state's population. That figure, however, is expected to nearly triple by 2030. The Pew Hispanic Center reported in October 2006 that only one-third of Iowa's existing Hispanic population were at least age 18 and a U.S. citizen eligible to vote.

Richardson, who is fluent in Spanish, is the nation's only Hispanic governor. He was born in California, but spent his early childhood in Mexico City.

Dodd, although not Hispanic, is also fluent in Spanish. While serving in the Peace Corps, he lived in the Dominican Republic.

The company has invited Republican presidential candidates to a debate — also in Spanish — on Sept. 16. There is no word yet on which candidates, if any, will appear.