Changing Demographics in Texas and the Politics of Immigration

A new report by Latino Decisions about the growing Hispanic vote in Texas outlines opportunities and challenges for both the Democratic Party and the GOP. Although Hispanics represent a large swath of the electorate, weak turnout levels have undercut their power at the ballot box. At the same time, their […] Read more »

Latinos Don’t Affect Vast Majority of House Republicans’ Races

House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday dismissed passing immigration reform until “trust” is gained in President Obama, leaving the timeline for the passage of immigration reform up in the air. But there’s another — and perhaps more significant — reason House Republicans are balking at reform: More than 60 percent […] Read more »

The GOP’s immigration conundrum

House Republicans’ latest revolt against immigration reform spells potential trouble for the party’s 2016 presidential candidates. The last thing the GOP needs in 2016 is another primary season marked by debate and dissension over the fraught issue. The party’s handling of immigration-reform legislation since President Obama won reelection with 71 […] Read more »

Texan Hispanics Tilt Democratic, but State Likely to Stay Red

Texas Hispanics are decidedly Democratic in their political party preferences, 46% to 27%, but that 19-percentage-point Democratic advantage is much smaller in Texas than the average 30-point gap Democrats enjoy among the Hispanic population in the other 49 states. And white Texas residents are decidedly more Republican (61%) than the […] Read more »