… “They keep coming,” began a 1994 TV ad for Gov. Pete Wilson of California, a Republican, showing illegal immigrants running across the Mexican border as the governor he pledged to deny them state services. It helped galvanize white voters for the embattled Mr. Wilson, who won re-election. But his support among Hispanics plummeted to 25 percent from 47 percent four years earlier.
No Republican has won a presidential or Senate race in California since. The Democratic advantage grew even as polls showed that Latinos’ ideological views were little different from those of other California voters. That underscores the challenge facing Republicans who seek to use taxes or cultural conservatism to court Hispanics while talking tough on immigration.
“A Hispanic small-business owner won’t listen to what you have to say on those issues if he thinks you believe he and his family are something less than human,” said Dan Schnur, a former Wilson aide now running as an independent for California secretary of state. CONT.
John Harwood, New York Times
Recent polls: Immigration