Barbour, 37, born and raised in Guatemala and Gov. Haley Barbour's niece by marriage to Hinds County Supervisor Charles Barbour, said her job is to convince Mississippi's Hispanics that the GOP should be their political party of choice.

"In the immigrant world, you can't just say, 'Vote Republican' because they don't know about American political parties," Rosemary Barbour of Jackson said. "You have to explain the Republican world to them."

With all voters nearly evenly split between the Democratic and Republican parties on presidential politics, swing voters are more highly prized than ever.

"We're seeing an unprecedented amount of attention to court Latino votes," said Rosalind Gold of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund. "Both parties are realizing that Latinos don't march in lock step and are up for grabs."

But Mississippi is not a swing state. It is solidly Bush country. The president won the state with 58 percent of the vote in 2000.

But the GOP is looking toward the future, when the Hispanic community may be older and larger and a key voting bloc in Mississippi.

In addition, the influence of Hispanic votes in Mississippi is expected to be minimal this year. About 150,000 Hispanics live in the state, about 5 percent of the state's population, Rosemary Barbour said. However, as new immigrants, many of the state's Hispanics aren't citizens and can't vote.

Robert Suro, director of the Pew Hispanic Center, said the fight for Hispanic voters isn't limited to this year's elections because the Hispanic community's explosive growth might determine which party holds the edge in government for the next few decades.

"Both parties are looking to the future and trying to develop a long-term constituency," he said.

Bush won about 35 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2000, more than any GOP presidential candidate in recent history, according to exit polls. He'd like to do better this year.

"Republicans don't have to capture a majority of Latino votes nationwide," Suro said. "For them, it's a matter of incremental gains."

Rosemary Barbour, a former White House intern, said she was attracted to the Republican Party because she was impressed with President Reagan and the GOP's traditional values. The GOP's message to Hispanics in Mississippi focuses on housing, education and entrepreneurship.

She said her job is to steer Mississippi's Hispanics to adult education classes that would teach them English. She also helps Hispanics open bank accounts, which paves the way for credit and eventually a mortgage, and for help in starting up small businesses.

"So many Hispanics have wonderful ideas but don't know how to get started," she said.

On Thursday, Perez, the owner of an international business consulting firm, will be sworn in as a member of the state Board of Education, which oversees the education of Georgia's 1.5 million public school students, including more than 100,000 Hispanic students. Perez, who state officials say is the board's first Hispanic member, was tapped by Gov. Sonny Perdue to fill the vacancy in the 7th Congressional District for the next seven years. A tireless community advocate, Perez, 57, is an active member of the Gwinnett Republican Party.

He hopes to bring the problem-solving techniques he uses in business to the state boardroom. And he hopes his appointment serves as an inspiration to Georgia's growing Latino student population. Perez spoke recently with Journal-Constitution education reporter Dana Tofig (dtofig@ajc.com). Here are excerpts from the interview.

Q: While you've never been in education professionally, what have you done in schools?

A: Obviously we've had great fortune in our lives. We've been healthy. Both my wife and I have great jobs, great careers. I began approaching schools asking to be a mentor to some of the Latino kids who were at risk. It was really, really amazing to me and really rewarding. . . . Maybe that simple interaction of having someone you can relate to and [who] takes some interest in you can make a difference one kid at a time.

Q: What do you bring to the state Board of Education that's unique?

A: I'm a problem-solver. I tend to focus on facts. . . . I tend to make decisions based on evidence. Obviously, I have lived through some of the English-learning experiences [and that] will be helpful. Not only can I analyze the issues and try to solve them, but I've lived them. So I have some background.

Q: Is it about time that more Hispanics were appointed to leadership posts in Georgia?

A: I'd hate to say "it's time for that to happen." We need to lead, not be given. I'd like to encourage every Latino to get involved. We can't just sit around. Nobody is going to come knocking on the door . . . I'd like to think [the appointment] wasn't about [my being Hispanic]. Have I been appointed as a token before to some boards? Yes, I have. Have I been offended? No. It's part of the bridge building.

Q: What are the challenges that Hispanic students are facing in public schools today? Obviously, the language barrier is a huge issue.

A: I'm afraid so. English is the universal business language. This is a nation that is just amazing to me. This is a nation that feels guilty because they don't speak Spanish. . . . I think it's a shame. English is critical to being successful.

Q: Any other challenges?

A: Culturally, we are driven by time here. I helped a company in Mexico launch a new telephone company. The CEO would call a 9 a.m. meeting that began at 10 a.m. It's an understanding [in Latin countries] that relationships are more important than time itself. If [Americans] have a meeting from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and it's 11 a.m., the meeting is over. That's got to be one of the biggest adjustments.

Q: The achievement gap between Hispanic students and white students is, in places, even greater than the gap between black and white students. What causes that gap?