GOP has a Latino problem

Opinion: October 14, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s a risk in associating too closely with a single issue, here’s your proof:

Republicans are getting hammered among likely Latino voters for their hawkish stands on the border and illegal immigrants. That’s true nationally and in Texas, one of the most pivotal states for Latino voters. A recent Pew Hispanic Center poll shows 65 percent of registered Latino voters will back Democratic candidates this fall. The polling firm Latino Decisions found that only 19 percent of registered Hispanics will vote Republican. Together, those reports don’t portend good things for the GOP, whose most recent president won about 40 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2004.

Weak support

A poll by The Dallas Morning News and several other Texas newspapers supports those findings. It shows Gov. Rick Perry only has the support of 24 percent of likely Latino voters in November. His opponent, Democrat Bill White, is on course to win about 52 percent.

To some extent, that’s a bum rap for Perry. He has courted Latinos, and, as he did at a Dallas event this summer, he seems genuine about extending the hand of fellowship. But too much super-charged Perry rhetoric about securing the border and cracking down on sanctuary cities apparently drowns out his more inclusive message.

And he’s hardly the only Republican talking tough.

Republicans obviously see this as a way to win voters upset about illegal immigration. And in the short-term, that’s a winning strategy. GOP candidates will increase their numbers among conservative, white voters with tough immigration stands.

But it’s hard to see how driving away Latino voters will help Republicans in the long run, not when you look at the numbers. In California and Texas, the two most populous states, the Census Bureau reports that Latinos now make up about 37 percent of their populations.

There actually are some glimmers of hope here for Republicans.

For example, a group of conservatives has been hosting conference calls to showcase their interest in creating a fair immigration policy. These calls have spotlighted surprising conservative names, including Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

Immigration reform

Along with Latino evangelical leader Samuel Rodriquez, Land and others have been laying the foundation for an immigration reform that goes beyond securing the border. In so doing, they’re giving Republicans a chance to start getting back into good graces with the nation’s fastest-growing demographic group.

The economy’s also an issue Republicans can capitalize on. The more Republicans talk about growing small businesses through keeping taxes low, expanding investment capital through limiting capital gains taxes and rewarding entrepreneurs by decreasing their regulatory burden, the more they can sound like the party of opportunity.

William McKenzie is an editorial columnist for The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.