The Latino vote has tended to trend toward the Democrats in recent elections but now the Republican Party is trying to focus more of its campaigns to secure their vote and is trying to put the emphasis on their interest in securing immigration reform in order to do so. Republicans are launching new initiatives to try and change the perception of their party among the Latino community due to the fact that their existing party base is rapidly shrinking.
The Pew Research Center’s Hispanic Trends Project highlights the reality that just 27% of Latinos were willing to vote for Mitt Romney, the Republican’s Presidential candidate back in 2012, in comparison to the staggering 71% that threw their support behind incumbent Democrat President Barack Obama. A large number of Latino voters expressed the opinion that Romney in particular and the Republican Party, in general, did not support minorities in the United States, particularly when it comes to the issue of immigration.
The Republicans are hoping to try to deal with this issue by putting $10 million in reserve for the purpose of attracting Latino voters in divisive states such as California. By trying to give themselves a permanent presence within Latino communities, rather than just during election cycles, the party hopes to increase Latino support.
The Republican Party is increasingly aware that it needs to appeal to minorities to avoid another crushing defeat at the 2016 election, with various studies have shown that Latinos would be more likely to vote for a Republican president that supported immigration reform.
