DREAM Act's failure could drive Latino voters
The Senate's failure to take up the DREAM Act has sparked another round of debate about the Hispanic vote and the political impact of saying "no" on immigration bills.
Matt Barreto, a University of Washington political scientist, writes that Republican senators who voted against the DREAM Act could face challenges at the ballot box in 2012.
The DREAM Act would have given children of illegal immigrants a chance at residency if they completed some college or military service. The Senate on Saturday was unable to come up with the 60 votes needed on the bill to move ahead with debate and voted 55-41 on a procedural move.
In Barreto's analysis, 12 GOP senators up for re-election in 2012 voted "no" on limiting debate and moving forward on the DREAM Act. They include Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona, Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas and John Ensign of Nevada, whose state populations are each 25% or more Latino.
Kyl, of course, hails from a state that has tried to impose its own immigration law. Arizona's immigration law, which is being challenged in the courts, would give law enforcement the ability to determine the legal status of people pulled over for traffic stops and suspected of crimes.
Hutchison and her Texas GOP colleague, John Cornyn, both voted "no" on Saturday. Hutchison said she voted against the measure because it expanded the scope beyond children who were brought to the U.S. illegally. Cornyn explained he was sympathetic to the concerns of these children, but doesn't believe the DREAM Act is the answer.
Meanwhile, Meg Whitman's campaign spokesman is talking about how Republicans have to stop demonizing Latinos if they want success at the ballot box. Whitman, former CEO of eBay, lost the California governor's race to Democrat Jerry Brown by 13 percentage points. Latinos, the fastest-rising group in the United States, make up 22% of California's electorate.
Rob Stutzman, Whitman's adviser, said Republicans have to remember that the debate on illegal immigration has a human dimension that is potent to many Californians. "As long as radio talk show guys demagogue on the issue and Republicans are cowed and not willing to stand up to it, nothing's going to change," Stutzman says in the Los Angeles Times.
Our Gannett colleague Erin Kelly writes about Republicans and the future of the Hispanic vote in this story for the Reno Gazette Journal in Nevada.