Can Republicans win over Hispanic voters?

Posted at 08:45 AM ET, 08/11/2011
By Jennifer Rubin

That question was on the minds of many political operatives and pundits after the 2008 election. The theory was that the GOP was becoming a regional (Southern) party of white males. The Republican Party, some commentators argued, was in danger of extinction if it could not appeal to an electorate becoming more pluralistic every year. In 2004 George W. Bush won 44 percent of the Hispanic vote; the idea that Republicans could get even close to that share seemed like a distant hope after President Obama’s election.

But in 2012 opportunities abound for the GOP. In July of this year Gallup reported that support for Obama among Hispanics had dipped almost more than 20 points since his election. His frantic efforts to woo Hispanic voters disappointed over his failure to deliver on immigration reform suggests the White House is well aware of the danger of losing Hispanic voters. And with the election of prominent Hispanics including Sen. Marco Rubio, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, Republicans are beginning to shed their all-white image. Moreover, with an unemployment rate of over 11 percent for Hispanics, Republicans have an opening to explain their own message on growth, jobs, and education.

What has been missing, Jennifer Korn, told me in a phone interview yesterday, is “a concerted effort on an outgoing basisâ€