Puncturing Myths About Latino Voters and the GOP

"Exit polls from Election Day 2008 showed that nationwide, Barack Obama won 67 percent of the Latino vote and John McCain 32 percent. Latino support for Senator McCain was similar to what President Bush received in 2004, which was in the 39 to 44 percent range. The Republicans did not gain ground with Latino voters in 2008. But a look back at a number of election cycles indicates that the GOP can rely on 30 percent of the Hispanic vote as a reliable base. In fact, Republicans see the Latino population as a growing constituency and a desirable target of their campaigns," notes James Gimpel in the Christian Science Monitor. "One thing to keep in mind in reviewing these figures is that the Latino population is not evenly spread across these communities. Latinos appear to vote the most Republican in the areas where they are least concentrated – specifically in 'Military Bastions' and 'Service Worker Centers," where they make up a rather small percentage of the total population. In areas where they find themselves in greater concentration, they vote heavily Democratic, as in the 'Monied Burbs' and in 'Boom Towns.'"

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