The last presidential election showed the kind of clout that Latino voters have. With President Barack Obama gaining a of the demographic the question has been: What will the GOP do to gain traction with Latinos?
Has the Democratic party just done a better job of welcoming Latinos?
Texas has a better record for the Grand Old Party with several Latino legislators in Austin and a comfortable 38 percent of the Latino vote going to Gov. Rick Perry in 2010, but also has an extremely low turnout of Latino voters.
As get-out-the-vote programs from Battleground Texas continue their efforts, will the rising Latino demographic be a game changer in Texas? Can the GOP court this electorate on the move?
For Lionel Sosa, it is only a matter of time. In a recent op-ed, "Most Latinos [Are] Really Closet Republicans," he argued that as Latino's mature in American Politics, they will be unafraid to embrace their inner conservative. The political consultant has been moving that forward since working for the Reagan campaign on getting out the Latino vote.
Aaron Peña was elected to the state House in 2003 for District 40 as a Democrat, years later he announced he would swap, founding the Hispanic Republican Conference of Texas. He gives us his insight on what's next for the GOP in Texas.
Also joining us is Mark P. Jones, political science professor at Rice University and Walt Wilson Political Science professor at the University of Texas San Antonio. They break down the current events that are keeping the GOP from making progress.
**Lionel Sosa's wife, Kathy Sosa, is a member of TPR's Board of Directors.
