Latino Vote for Obama a Wake Up Call for GOP

President Obama's re-election may have come from a diverse electorate, but it was more than 70 percent of Latino votes that helped him secure his seat.
 
Although Latinos in California tend to be Democrats, historically many have been politically conservative, which is why Republicans are calling last night's Democratic victory a devastating blow to the GOP.

Longtime Republican Raoul Lowery-Contreras blames GOP candidate Mitt Romney, for not connecting with Latinos, but mainly for leaning too far to the right.

"The United States is a huge country with lots of people in it, lots of diversity, you name it. And the Republican Party has to reflect that. If it doesn't reflect that, if it just reflects a dwindling white population, they will never win again," said Lowery-Contreras.

Isidro Ortiz, a professor with San Diego State University's Chicano Studies Department says this year the Democratic Party was at an advantage.

He says with policies affecting everything from immigration to education, there was too much at stake for Latinos in this election.

However, Ortiz believes many of the GOP's policies alienated Latinos.

"Why would a Latino, or Latino voters look at those positions and say those are favorable to us?” said Ortiz.

The SDSU professor also says President Obama’s promise to defer deportation for thousands of undocumented immigrants was an incentive for many to vote Democrat.
 
More than 12 million Latinos showed up to vote yesterday.

That's up nearly 30 percent from the last presidential election.

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