Latino population surge: Eight disturbing states for the GOP

By Katrina Jones Jun 21st, 2012 ( 1 Comment )

The increase in Latino population over the past decade paints a grim picture for the Republicans. The United States’ Latino population increased from about 35 million in 2000 to 50 million in 2010, and about 45 percent of that growth occurred in the following eight states.

Colorado: 17.1 percent (2000), 20.7 percent (2010)

Florida: 16.8 percent (2000), 22.5 percent (2010)

Nevada: 19.7 percent (2000), 26.5 percent (2010)

North Carolina: 4.7 percent (2000), 8.4 percent (2010)

Virginia: 4.7 percent (2000), 7.9 percent (2010)

Arizona: 25.3 percent (2000), 29.6 percent (2010)

Georgia: 5.3 percent (2000), 8.8 percent (2010)

Texas: 32 percent (2000), 37.6 percent (2010)

Democrats are hoping to put in play in the coming elections in the several key swing states and red states, where GOP has been facing problems.

Of that 15 million-person increase, nearly 20 percent came in five key swing states — Florida, Colorado, Nevada, North Carolina and Virginia, The Washington Post reported.

In the seven elections between Jimmy Carter’s win in 1976 and Obama’s election, Democrats only won four out of 35 contests in those five states. But they carried all five in 2008. But before that all of them had gone regularly for Republicans.

As white voters trend downward toward 50 percent of the population (and at this rate, it will happen by 2020 or 2024 in both states), Democrats should have a real chance in states where President Obama already passed the 45 percent threshold in 2008.

By the 2020 election, it’s quite possible that the state will feature more Latinos than whites and whites could comprise less than two in five Texans.

Adding Arizona, Georgia and Texas to the electoral mix would throw 59 solidly GOP electoral votes into the mix, and surely change the electoral college calculus for years to come.