Why the GOP Needs the Hispanic Vote

Sometimes you have to mix things up to get results, sometimes you have to pull a move out of left field and pray it works. And in an effort to make up for the 2012 election loss, the Republican party has done just that by announcing a goal to expand its outreach to Hispanic voters. But while many members of the party may be crossing their fingers the plan works, others are a bit more skeptical.

Anne Coulter, conservative firebrand and outspoken critic of the new Republican initiative, is one of the skeptics.  Despite the party releasing “autopsy” of the 2012 election emphasizing the need to appeal to minority voters, Coulter isn’t convinced. She thinks the El Dorado of increasing Hispanic percentage is just a legend. And Coulter has some solid stats backing her up.

According to the Census Bureau, the number of Hispanic percentage of the electorate declined to 8.4 percent since 2008 and for every Hispanic voter in 2012, there were roughly two black voters and nine white voters. On top of that research from Byron York indicates Mitt Romney still would have lost the election even with a staggering 70% of the Hispanic vote. But it’s not just statistics that make Coulter think this is a poorly thought-out plan, she also believes it’s a case of trying to a sensibility that isn’t there. She argues that Hispanic voters are not particularly interested in amnesty for illegal immigrants, pointing to data from the Pew Research Hispanic Center and the dismal performance of John McCain (a strong proponent of legalizing illegal immigrants) among Hispanics in the 2008 election.

It seems Coulter thinks the appeal to Hispanic voters is a thinly veiled ploy, and it’s easy to understand her reasoning. In her view, the Republican establishment, consultants and donors aren’t really concerned with issues affecting Hispanics; they just love the idea of increasing the pool of cheap labor available. And many in the GOP may dismiss Coulter’s arguments in the light of the projected growth of the Hispanic population over the next few decades. But without a clean insight into what makes Hispanic voters tick, it’s doubtful reaching out to them will prove fruitful. And with the data shown, it’s even more doubtful losing the Hispanic vote was a major factor in losing the 2012 election.

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