From Barry Goldwater to Pete Wilson to Donald Trump: Is GOP on verge of losing Latinos for a generation?
More recently he sparked outrage by insisting he could not receive fair treatment from San Diego federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing the lawsuit against his now-defunct real estate school, because the American-born judge’s parents were Mexican immigrants. Trump later tried to walk back those remarks, but still questioned the judge’s ability to be impartial.
“We don’t have to guess that they’re going to lose Latinos for a generation, because we saw it happen here in California,” said Matt Barreto, a UCLA political science professor and cofounder of the Latino Decisions polling firm. He is consulting for Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Polling shows the California GOP’s embrace of Proposition 187 and an anti-illegal immigrant agenda in the ‘90s accelerated a decline already underway due to shifting demographics. The state has voted Democratic in every presidential election since.