and majority in Congress for years to come. As they did with the 2008 and 2012 election, Hispanic voters now make up about 17% of the population and, many times can swing the vote in favor of a candidate. Republicans claim that strong Christian values help them secure that vote, but if the Hispanic population continues to see that the GOP doesn't care about their immigration issues, their support will go to the Democrats.
More than half of the Republican Congressmen represent districts whose populations are less than 10% Hispanic; 80% represent districts with those percentages lower than the national average. Redistricting has made the districts whiter. Meanwhile, Democrats on average represent districts whose populations are at least 23% Hispanic, which is well above the national average.
“I think Republicans looking at the long game know they need immigration reform because the amount of Hispanics registered to vote will be so big,” said Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist. “But most Republicans in the House are taking the shorter view because they want to survive. It takes a lot of courage to embrace immigration reform.”
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