More Latinos Likely to Vote Republican If Immigration Reform Passes

What role the Republican Party plays in comprehensive immigration reform will have an important impact on whether or not Latinos, a key political demographic, will consider voting Republican in the future, a new poll finds.

A recent poll by Latino Decisions, a firm that conducts research on Latino political opinions, reported that 32 percent of Latinos would be more likely to consider voting Republican in the future if comprehensive immigration reform passed. On a related note, 39 percent said they would be less likely to vote Republican if party leaders in the House of Representatives defeated reform efforts.

“[It] is in the interest of GOP leaders to deliver comprehensive immigration reform that actually makes them look better to the electorate,” said Gary Segura, co-founder of Latino Decisions and director of Chicana/o Studies at Stanford University.

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According to the poll, a significant portion of voters, even those who generally allied with Obama in the election, would consider voting for Republicans if the party helped to pass the immigration reform. Sharing this opinion were 26 percent of Obama voters, 35 percent of independents and 38 percent of voters under 40.

Similarly, if a bill passes the Senate but is defeated in the house, many of those polled said they would be less likely to vote Republican in the future. That opinion was voiced by 50 percent of Obama voters, 32 percent of independents and 36 percent of voters under 40.

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