By Dolores Delgado Campbell and Duane Campbell
Immigration issues along with the changing composition of
the U.S. electorate will shape the 2016 Presidential and Congressional races, as
well as many state races.
While working class non-union white voters in the upper Midwest
appear to be abandoning the Clinton-led Democratic Party in response to
immigration and neo- liberal trade policies, Latino voters are putting some
traditional Republican and swing states in play, noticeably Arizona, Nevada, Colorado
and Texas. In these states with a close
electoral contest, the Latino vote may make the decisive victory.
The U.S. electorate in 2016 will be the
country’s most racially and ethnically diverse ever. Nearly one in three
eligible voters (31%) will be Latino,
African American, Asian or another racial or ethnic minority, up from 29% in
2012. Much of this change is due to strong growth among Latino
voters, in particular U.S.-born youth. Latinos will
constitute an estimated 11.9% of the total electorate.
According to Pew Research, the projected
number of eligible voters will be:
White – 69%; African American 12%; Latino 12%; Asian 4%.
(For a detailed description of the
various national groups within the Hispanic
category see http://www.dsausa.org/dl_hispanic_heritage_month)
Latino millennials will account for
nearly half (44%) of the record 27.3 million Hispanic eligible voters projected
for 2016. (Pew, 2016)
Donald
Trump began his campaign for the Republican nomination with an assault on
Mexicans and Mexican Americans in the U.S. This was his strategic choice. He has expanded his assault to encompass
additional immigrant groups including Muslims and other Latino immigrants (but
not Cubans).
