NEW YORK -- The chant bounced down the hallways of gilded columns and chandeliers of the swanky Waldorf-Astoria hotel: "Viva Bush! Viva Bush! Viva Bush!"

And another: "Four more years! Four more years!"

Inside the standing-room-only hall, the delegates cheering for President Bush were representatives of the people Republicans are hoping will boost the party and help re-elect Bush: America's growing Latino population.

At the Republican National Convention this week, and across the country this election cycle, the party is reaching out to Latinos as never before.

"People woke up to the fact that we are now the largest minority population and people realized we are a vote up for grabs," said Miriam Ramirez, a Puerto Rican lawmaker.

Republican, -- who speaks some Spanish, has a Mexican sister-in-law and was governor of a state with a large Latino population, will help the party build its long-term base.

Though a recent Washington Post poll shows that Democratic candidate John Kerry enjoys a 2-to-1 advantage over Bush among registered Latino voters, that overall Latinos identify more with the Democratic Party, and that Bush might not get the large percentage of the Hispanic vote he enjoyed four years ago, the mood in New York was echoed in those two words, "Viva Bush."

It's people like California delegate Mary George whom Republicans are hoping to find more of.

George was a Democrat until she switched sides 12 years ago.

"The Democratic Party left me," said George, from Eagle Rock.

She and many others said the Republican Party and Latinos share traditional values -- family, God and financial independence.

"We believe that the values important to Hispanics are values that are present in this administration," said Danny Diaz, a spokesman for the Bush campaign.

Whereas Democrats could once count on the minority vote, there is a change brewing, Republicans say.

"Democrats take the minority vote for granted," said Glen Becerra, a delegate and Simi Valley councilman. "I think you are starting to see the emergence of a large presence of Latinos within the Republican Party."

Bob Pacheco, a California delegate from Walnut, said the party is more open to Latinos than ever before.

"I'm not saying the Republicans have always treated the Latinos with the attention that they should be getting, but I think they are beginning to get it," he said.

Pacheco said the effort to include Latinos is not just posturing to get their votes. He said Bush, in his presidency and governorship, showed he cared about Latinos.

"It's not pandering," said Joe Fernandez, a Missouri delegate. "If this were the first time we were hearing from him it would be, but when he was governor of Texas, he included Latinos in his plans" for the state's future.

Ramirez argued that there is nothing wrong with pandering.

"We need to be pandered to because it helps us get what we want," she said.

Bush's broken Spanish doesn't hurt his popularity either.

"When he speaks the language, it's a sign of respect," Pacheco said. "Sen. Kerry makes no effort. Not only has he not tried to speak the language, he has very few Latinos in his campaign. That's a slap in the face to Latinos."

Added Ramirez about Bush: "His Spanish is simple, but it's charming."

Becerra agrees with a comment he recently heard -- that if Bill Clinton was the first black president, Bush is the first Latino.

But some argued that the party is merely seeking out Latinos during an election year when many of the critical swing states have large Latino populations.

Edward Clancy, with Latin Insights, a company that helps businesses target Latinos, said the party is realizing the potential of millions of Latino voters.

"I look at it as pandering," he said. "Just because you can speak the language doesn't mean you know the community."

Fernando Suarez del Solar said part of that community is an environment where the only way to a higher education or better job is through the military.

Suarez del Solar, whose son died fighting in Iraq, protested in front of one of the many fancy hotels where Latinos held gatherings this week. He did not have the expensive ticket to get into the party.

But others spoke about nothing but prosperity and promise for Republican Latinos. One of the most visible Latinos was George P. Bush, the president's nephew, whose mother is Mexican. At the Waldorf-Astoria and later during the convention, he talked about the bright future for Latinos under his uncle.

For Ramirez, they have certainly come a long way within the party.

She can remember days when the only Latino functions at conventions were in basements with a mariachi band and a few tortilla chips.

Tuesday night suggested something different.

On the 65th floor of Rockefeller Plaza the Latino Coalition hosted a $1,000-per-ticket party with famous singers and expensive tequila and a sweeping view of the city below.

To Ramirez, it was if the Latinos had finally arrived in the party.

-- Staff writer Zeke Barlow welcomes your e-mails while he is in New York City covering the Republican National Convention.