The State of Arizona is well-known to be strongly conservative in both its views and preference in voting. According to a recent report by polling firm Latino Decisions and pro-immigration reform group America’s Voice, Arizona is highly likely to change that preference and vote democratic thanks to its growing Latino voting population.
“Although over 40% of Latino voters in Arizona indicated they voted for Bush in 2004 and McCain in 2008, Arizona’s Hispanic voters have all but abandoned the Republican Party more recently as a result of the harsh stance on immigration policy,” said Gabriel Sanchez, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of New Mexico and Director of Research at Latino Decisions.
The report suggests that if activists convince Latinos to go out and vote during elections, Arizona could be close to a major political shift. In the 2012 Presidential election, 79% of Arizona Latino votes supported Barrack Obama, and as the Latino demographic continues to grow and become more dominant in the state, these trends could result in a huge blow for Republicans.
“Arizona Hispanic voters have not quite abandoned the Republican Party completely, but are definitely moving in that direction,” said Sanchez. “Seventy-five percent of Latinos indicate that they are Democrats to only 19 percent Republicans.”
And as Republicans in D.C. continue to drag and delay the passing of immigration reform in this country, they continue to give Latino-heavy states, like Arizona, reasons to leave the Grand Old Party behind.
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