Latinos and the 2012 Election

The New Face of the American Voter

Gabriel R. Sanchez

• Publisher: Michigan State University Press
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN:
  9781611861600
• eBook ISBN:
  9781628951714
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Civics & Citizenship
• Index: Politics & International Relations

In giving President Obama a record level of support (75 percent) and reaching a watershed 10 percent of the voting population, Latinos proved to be decisive in the 2012 election outcome—an unprecedented mark of influence for this segment of the wider electorate. This shift also signaled a radical reenvisioning of mobilization strategies by both parties and created a sea change in the way political organizations conduct outreach and engagement efforts. In this groundbreaking volume, experts in Latino politics ask: What is the scope of Latino voter influence, where does this electorate have the greatest impact, and what issues matter to them most? They examine a key national discussion—immigration reform—as it relates to voter behavior, and also explore the influence of Latinos within key states, including California, Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Nevada, and Florida. While some of these states have traditionally had strong Latino voting blocs, in others Latinos are just emerging as major players electorally. The book also discusses the extent to which Latinos were mobilized during the 2012 campaign and analyzes election outcomes using new tools created by Latino Decisions. A blend of rigorous data analysis and organizational commentary, the book offers a variety of perspectives on the past, present, and future of the Latino electorate.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Latino Influence and the Electoral College: Assessing the Probability of Group Relevance
• Proactive, Reactive, and Tactical: Mobilizing the Latino Vote in 2012
• Immigration: Defining Candidates, Deciding Elections
• The 2012 Latino Vote in Colorado
• The 2012 Latino Vote in New Mexico: Immigration Emerges in Unexpected Ways
• The Reconquista of California: Latinos and the 2012 Election
• Brown Ballots in the Buckeye State
• The New Virginiano Electorate and the Politics of Immigration in Virginia
• North Carolina Latinos: An Emerging, Influential Electorate in the South
• Florida’s Latino Electorate in the 2012 Election
• It’s the Economy Stupid? Not So Fast: The Impact of the Latino Vote on the 2012 Presidential Election in Nevada
• Looking to 2014 and Beyond
• Appendix: Discussion of the Data Utilized in this Volume
• Contributors