President Obama won 75 percent of the 12.2 million votes cast by Latinos in the 2012 Election. And according to Latino leaders, this is what secured the incumbent back into the White House.
PHOTOS: Worldwide Victory! Countries Across The Globe Celebrate Obama’s Win
During a press call with Buzz Feed yesterday, Latino leaders shared their stats and reasons why they say the Latino vote gave Obama the edge he needed over Mitt Romney. They reported that Obama won more Hispanic votes than Bill Clinton in 1996 when he won 72 percent of their vote. As a result, the founder of Latino Decisions, Gagy Segura, says the Latino vote was the deciding factor in the 2012 Election.
“For the first time in American history, the Latino vote can be said to be decisive. If the Latino vote had been split equally, Obama would have lost the popular vote.”
Eliseo Medina, a leader of the labor union SEIU, also agrees that “Latinos were the key vote in electing a president, and now we are a part of history.”
Buzz Feed reports:
“President Obama won Latino support the old-fashioned way — by supporting comprehensive immigration reform,” added Medina. “Romney really screwed up on the immigration issue. He sealed his fate in the primaries.”
Citing Romney’s support of the Arizona immigration laws, as well as his pledge on the trail that he would veto the DREAM Act, Medina said, “We’re not stupid…There was nothing Romney could say to win the Latino vote.”
The data from Latino Decisions shows the vote played a role in tipping key swing states — particularly Colorado, where 87% of Latinos voted for Obama — and in tight Senate races. Their data shows 86% of Latinos in Massachusetts supporting Elizabeth Warren over Scott Brown.
If the GOP Party continues to alienate Hispanic voters, one of the largest growing demographics in the US, then they’ll be as good as extinct!
