Amigo de Obama? Not Daddy Yankee. The reggaetonero has confirmed that come election day, his vote will be for Republican candidate John McCain. Latina.com spoke exclusively to Daddy Yankee to understand why he decided to vote Republican this November while most celebrities seem downright fanatic about Democratic nominee Barack Obama.  

The Puerto Rican native says the Senator made an impression on him the first time they met, at an event nearly two years ago: "I thought he was a really cool person, and this was way before he was even a presidential candidate, and I liked him a lot."

The unlikely partners reconnected last month when they were both in New York. "He invited me [to Washington] and I went," says Yankee. "We talked about boxing, we're both boxing fanatics."

It was McCain's down-to-earth nature that appealed to him the most. He explains, "the cool thing about McCain is that the same guy that was senator is the same guy who is running for president now. When I talked to him, I never felt beneath him, he looks directly at me when he’s speaking to me, and we have the same level of respect for each other."

But it was the stories McCain told him of his time on the battlefield that really struck a chord with the musician. "He said, 'Yankee, I was a soldier. And I saw people die next to me, Latinos who never got their citizenship but who were willing to die for this country. I saw a Hernandez, I saw a Rodriguez, how they killed them.' And that broke my heart hearing that. And I went, man, this guy lived it. He’s not just going, 'hey I want your vote.' He lived it."

Does it bother him that McCain doesn't speak a word of Spanish? "No, no. He has this great desire to help our people. People don't know this but since he was a senator, he has fought hard for the well-being of Latinos. I know we are dealing with someone who cares about the Latino community."


"I was surprised I have to say at how willing to listen he is," Yankee explains. "People who haven’t met him might get the wrong perception of him but he's totally different."

When we asked if he had plans to meet with Democratic candidate Barack Obama, Yankee responded with a curt, "No."

If Daddy Yankees influence within the Latino community is any indication, looks like John McCain's bid for the White House just got a major bump.

Tell us, does Daddy Yankee's endorsement of McCain affect your decision?