There’s no way around it, one way or another, this election is going to be monumental for the Democratic Party. If Obama’s winning streak carries on, for the first time in our nation’s history, an African-American will be on the ticket. On the other hand if Clinton can pick up Ohio and Texas, she might succeed in one of the most amazing comeback stories—not to mention be the first female presidential nominee.

So where exactly does the Latino vote come in? It’s the hot topic for all the political pundits, as many have declared that Clinton’s ability to win Texas rides on the shoulders of Latinos.

How crucial are Latinos to the Clinton campaign?

Clinton needs to win in Texas; she needs to win big. The Latino vote makes up an estimated one-third of the Democratic vote in Texas. You do the math.

The Clinton campaign, however, remains confident in their ability to secure the Latino vote. And why shouldn’t they be, considering on Super Tuesday alone she almost doubled Obama’s percentage of Latino votes 64 to 34.

Why have Latinos favored Clinton thus far?

As the senator often reminds voters, her relationship with Latinos began long ago, when she traveled to southern Texas, registering voters for George McGovern. However, columnist Ruben Navarrette Jr. questions the message that she’s “been advocating for us for 35 years.”

That includes those years in Arkansas, which - in the 1970s and 1980s, when the Clintons lived there - was home to very few Latinos. And it includes the eight years while Hillary’s husband was president; Latino political activists say they can’t recall a single initiative that came from her office that was focused specifically on Latinos. And it includes her tenure in the Senate where - again - Latinos in New York and around the country can’t cite a single bill, debate, or committee meeting involving Latinos where Clinton took a leading role.

Nevertheless, Clinton has already received numerous endorsements from big-time Latino figures—Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, labor union organizer Dolores Huerta, former San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros, New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez and Richard Chavez.

However Californian State Senator Gilbert Cedillo said today not to be fooled by these endorsements. “Although a few high-profile Latinos has gone for Hillary, the majority will go for Sen. Obama,” said Cedillo. Latinos, he argued, have had time to get to know Obama since his loss in California; and as the senator has said himself “As Latinos get to know me, we do better.”

Bring back Bill?

After her husband’s performance in South Carolina, Hillary Clinton made a point to define her own label separate from Bill. However when it comes to the Latino vote, especially in Texas, Clinton appears to have no problem reminding voters of “the Clintons’” long relationship with Hispanics. It’s easy to see why Hillary would want to tap into this potentially fruitful resource considering that 72 percent of Latinos supported Bill Clinton for president in 1996.

“They were years when the minimum wage was raised, the years when we invested in housing,” Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told MSNBC. “So a long history is what it comes down to.”

So what’s the Latino reality come Tuesday…

Although Latinos make up a huge portion of the possible electorate, their reputation as the “sleeping giant” leaves many political experts doubtful that they will show up in huge numbers to the polls.

San Antonio Express-News’ Carlos Guerra argues that the first step for any candidate to secure the Latino vote is giving them a reason to vote in the first place. “Give Texas Latinos a reason to vote, first,” he writes, “and second, to vote for you.”