Before California's Republican governor tried to get tough on illegal immigrants in the 1990s, the state had supported GOP candidates in all but two presidential elections since World War II.
California has been a solid blue state ever since the attempted crackdown, in part because of a backlash by the growing number of Hispanic voters.Democrats hope to replicate that success nationally by using the current immigration debate to brand Republicans as anti-immigrant and anti-Hispanic.
But Latinos are showing signs they are dissatisfied with both political parties, making these voters pivotal players in the November election as Republicans fight to retain control of Congress."If the political parties use immigration as a wedge issue, there might be a very big backlash," said Marcelo Gaete, senior director of programs for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, or NALEO.
"We might become the soccer moms of this election, but we will not become the Willie Hortons," Gaete said.Former President Bush used images of Horton, a convicted murderer who raped a woman while on furlough from a Massachusetts prison, in a 1988 campaign ad designed to scare voters into thinking the Democratic nominee, Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, was soft on crime.
Hispanics to Play Pivotal Election Role - Forbes.com
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