Getting the Latino vote

A record 24 million Latinos are eligible to vote in the 2012 presidential election.

Even more significantly, Latino voters are a key presence in several battleground states such as Florida and New Mexico.

The candidates will fight a heated battle in states like Colorado, where a 20 percent Latino population will help decide where the state’s nine electoral votes will go.

All this has caused both candidates to increase national efforts to court Latino voters.
 
The efforts have especially intensified for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s campaign, which set a goal of securing 38 percent of the Latino vote and is currently trailing President Barack Obama in Latino support by a large margin.

In many ways, trying to attract more Latino voters makes sense for the GOP.

Latinos are one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S. They are also more up-for-grabs politically than other minorities.

Although a majority of Latinos identify themselves as Democrats, they have shown a willingness to support moderate Republicans in the past.

Especially with the presence of many Catholic Latinos, the Republicans might find support in conservative social positions.

Adding to this is Obama’s comprehensive immigration reform, which Obama has called one of the biggest regrets of his presidency.

But although the GOP convention highlighted some of the party’s top Latino officials, like Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, Latino support for Romney has fallen.

Romney’s secretly taped fundraiser, where he joked that it would be helpful for his electoral chances if he were Mexican, didn’t help him appear sensitive to issues Latinos face in the U.S. 

For many Latino voters, immigration reform remains a top issue.

Romney has tried lately to soften his stance on immigration.  He recently said he would not deport young illegal immigrants granted temporary visas through policy changes by the Obama administration. 

But Romney still hasn’t given enough specifics.

During the primary, Romney was aggressive on immigration issues, calling for the controversial policy of self-deportation.

He also declared he would veto the Dream Act.

Now, Romney has indicated he might instead consider legislation from Rubio, which would allow for young illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S.

Obama took more than 60 percent of the Latino vote in 2008, and polls currently show a similar lead.

But if Romney is able to lay out a more specific message on immigration, he might be able to attract more Latino voters tired of and disappointed by Obama’s inaction on
issues of immigration.

No matter which way the Latino vote swings, it remains important for both candidates to recognize the Latino vote as increasingly crucial, a trend that will likely continue in
following elections.

­— gwinslow@indiana.edu