Hispanic vote grows, shifts to Democrats

— -- WASHINGTON — Hispanic voters surged this week and swung their support to the Democratic Party, helping flip four states to winner Barack Obama in a trend that poses challenges for Republicans in future elections.

Obama made huge gains nationally, according to surveys of voters leaving the polls. He won 67% of the Hispanic vote — 23 percentage points higher than President Bush's showing in 2004.

Dramatic rises in Hispanic participation, support or both put Obama over the top in Florida, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado. The trends were similar in Arizona and Texas, though the two states went for Republican John McCain. The group also made its presence felt in Indiana, Virginia and North Carolina.

"If the Republicans don't make their peace with Hispanic voters, they're not going to win presidential elections anymore. The math just isn't there," says Simon Rosenberg, head of the NDN, a Democratic group that studies Hispanic voters.

Bush was popular with Hispanics and, along with McCain, tried to pass an immigration bill that would have allowed about 12 million illegal immigrants to earn citizenship. But a fierce backlash from conservatives has led to an anti-immigrant image for the Republican Party.

Danny Vargas, chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, says Hispanics are "more conservative than liberal" and have a "natural home" in the GOP. "We have to communicate with them in a positive way and not alienate them," he says.

Vargas says the harsh tone of some immigration-bill opponents was problematic. "Let's have less on the emotional frenzy side of it and more on the solution side," he says.

Matt Barreto, a University of Washington political scientist and Latino pollster, says immigration was "an important symbolic issue" in the campaign, but most Latinos are working class and cared most about the economy.

"They are looking for economic stability in their own personal life," he says, and responded to Obama's plans to avert foreclosures, make health insurance and education more affordable, and step up spending on job-creating infrastructure projects.