Despite a recent poll showing Sen. Barack Obama holding a 34 percentage-point lead over Sen. John McCain among Hispanic voters, New York Times blogger Kate Phillips uncritically reported June 12 remarks by Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NSRC), touting McCain's helpfulness to GOP candidates in Colorado and New Mexico “because of the Hispanic vote.” Phillips wrote of Ensign: “He said Mr. McCain would be helpful to, say, Senator John Sununu's re-election campaign in New Hampshire, and in Colorado and New Mexico's Senate races because of the Hispanic vote.” But Phillips did not mention that the poll -- an NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey conducted June 6-9 and released June 11 -- showed Obama leading McCain 62 percent to 28 percent among Hispanic voters.

Nor did Phillips mention that during the same discussion touting McCain's appeal to Hispanics in New Mexico, Ensign reportedly said in response to a question about whether the GOP was giving up on Senate races in Virginia and New Mexico: “You don't waste money on races that don't need it or if you can't win.” Talking Points Memo blogger Eric Kleefeld previously noted Ensign's remarks.

From Phillips' June 13 post on The Caucus:

He said Mr. McCain would be helpful to, say, Senator John Sununu's re-election campaign in New Hampshire, and in Colorado and New Mexico's Senate races because of the Hispanic vote. Later, Mr. Ensign said he believed campaigning with Mr. McCain would help moderate senators who voted with him on certain issues. He didn't say where Mr. McCain's candidacy might hurt Senate candidates.