Kerry makes push for Hispanic, black votes

IN a bid to win minority votes in November’s presidential election, Democratic candidate John Kerry promised Hispanics he would help illegal immigrants gain citizenship and told blacks he would make college more affordable.

Speaking in Phoenix to an Hispanic advocacy group, Kerry pledged, if elected, to allow undocumented workers apply for citizenship if they have paid taxes for five years and have no criminal record.

In Chicago earlier at a conference of Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, the Massachusetts senator promised $10 billion to help states defray education costs contingent on state universities keeping tuition increases to no more than the rate of inflation.