This article highlights the importance of the Hispanic voting community to the upcoming election. The GOP has traditionally lost the Hispanic vote to the Democratic party, but in this election they may be able to win back some support should Gov. Perry win the nomination. Rick Perry, as the Governor of Texas, has won some support from the Hispanic community by granting in-state-tuition to illegal immigrants attending a public university. Conservatives have criticized Perry for using tax payer money to fund the education of illegal immigrants, others have accused Perry’s law as a “magnet for illegal immigration.” Whatever the case may be, Rick Perry is the last hope for Republicans of winning over the Hispanic community and stealing their voting block from Democrats.
Recent data, has shown that Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. Their rising numbers in particular swing states like Florida and Nevada will place added importance on candidates to woo Hispanic voters. President Obama, in 2008, easily won the majority of the Hispanic votes, but leading up to the 2012 election, his approval rating within the Hispanic community has plummeted. The unemployment percentage among Hispanics has gradually risen throughout Obama’s administration and many of their voters are eager for economic and political change. Herein lies the advantage for Republicans and particularly Rick Perry, should he win the nomination. Perry could use his strong record of job creation in Texas and softer tone (compared to Romney and Cain) on immigration to sway Hispanic voters to the GOP. Regardless of who wins the nomination, Hispanic voters will play a crucial role in shaping the political landscape of our nation for this election and many more to come.
I am still very perplexed by the fact that Perry supported the Texas Dream Act but opposes the federal Dream Act. I assume this is a political tactic as he tries to avoid losing ground in the Republican party, most of whom oppose the Dream Act.
ReplyDeleteI think that Perry's strategy on this is risky, but smart. He may be able to win over a large number of voters amongst the hispanic community not only in the primary, but in the general election as well (should he make it that far). The risk comes from his potential alienation of the conservative base. However, he may be able to convince them of the freedom and liberty, supposedly two of the key ideals to the tea party, of his actions. It will be interesting to see how this plays out as it could have a profound impact on the elections.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to see how the Latino vote influences the 2012 election if Perry wins the primary, but with Perry's popularity going down, the problem is more likely to be the overall image of the Republican party rather than the popularity of the individual candidate. Ultimately, Obama's stance on illegal immigrants far outweighs any Republican candidate's understanding of Latino social issues. It seems that the Republican candidate will more likely have rely on Latino voters disappointment with Obama's economic and job creation policies than any appeal toward Latino voters made on their own.
ReplyDeleteThe debates have really hurt Governor Perry. The immigration questions and challenges have been especially difficult for him to tackle. In the last debate he was the only candidate that did not say that he wanted a border fence across the entire US-Mexico boarder.
ReplyDeleteLooking at Latino voters, it would be interesting to see what his popularity is among latino voters and whether or not they supported him in his race for Governor. That may be a good indication of which side the Latino vote will fall in 2012