Latinos and the California GOP: A Troubled Courtship

The Republican Party of California faces a serious demographic challenge as a burgeoning Latino population threatens to turn this majority-minority state a darker shade of blue. The purpose of my research and of this thesis is to explore the relationship between Latino voters in California and the Republican Party and to draw conclusions about the most viable and proven means of attracting Latino votes to Republican candidates. The Latino vote is by no means a lost cause for Republicans. My research supports several claims, which are laid out here and discussed throughout the paper. The first is that the Republican Party waits now at a crucial moment of opportunity for failure or survival in California. The next is that there are multiples issues with which the GOP can make inroads with Hispanic communities. The research available leads me to conclude that it matters less what Republicans might say about these issues, and more how and where (and even in what language) they say it