Washington, D.C. — This year the gap between Hispanics registered as Democrats and those registered as Republicans in Florida has never been wider, with the Democrats gaining the advantage. However, the weight that Hispanics carry in helping determine the GOP nomination is still very significant, currently standing at 11.1 percent of all registered Republican voters. Tomorrow night’s debate co-sponsored by CNN, the Republican Party of Florida, and the Hispanic Leadership Network in Florida will show this.
The recent rhetoric adopted by Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich on immigration and economic issues has begun to alienate the Hispanic community and can possibly endanger their aspired presidential bid. Will they continue to talk like this in Florida’s debate tonight? Or will they tone their anti-immigration stances down to appease the Latino electorate?
The following CAP Action experts are available to comment:
- Angela Kelley, Vice President for Immigration Policy and Advocacy at CAP Action
- Marshall Fitz, Director of Immigration Policy at CAP Action
- Vanessa Cardenas, Policy Analyst at CAP Action and Director Progress 2050 at CAP
Resources:
To speak to CAP Action experts, please contact Laura Pereyra at lpereyra@americanprogress.org or at 202.203.8689.
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