Republicans are in jeopardy of becoming a “regional party” of scattered conservative white supporters if they do not gain support from Latinos, according to a study released yesterday by a GOP pollster.
“Republicans have run out of persuadable white voters,” Republican pollster Whit Ayres and the conservative Hispanic Leadership Network’s Jennifer Korn said in a memo detailing the results of the study.
Latino voters in four states — New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado and Florida — surveyed “concluded that the GOP brand was on life support,” according to Talking Points Memo.
“If Republicans achieve 40 percent or more of Hispanics nationally, they can elect conservative Republicans to national office,” the memo authors wrote. “Settling for a quarter or less of the Hispanic vote nationally will relegate Republicans to a regional party with few national prospects.”
In the past, Republicans were able to come out victorious in the presidential elections by winning the majority white vote. But this past election Romney dominated President Obama 59-39 with the white vote and every subset, including women, Catholics and young people. President Obama’s dominance with the Latino, Asian, and African-American population is what enabled him to be re-elected by a comfortable margin.
Ayres resolves that there is some hope for Republicans. He recommends a combination of immigration reform as well as serious campaigns designed to slowly rebuild the party’s standing over several elections. Winning the majority of Hispanic voters now or in the near future is unrealistic, but winning Hispanic conservatives is obtainable.
“Campaigns matter and candidates matter and we see the effects of those leaders,” Ayers said.
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