Jeb Bush's Strategy to Win GOP Latino Voters

In a recent Miami Herald editorial former Florida governor Jeb Bush offers the GOP a 2012 plan to win the White House and gain some seats in the US Senate. It's a thoughtful vision to victory. Bush states, "In the 15 states that are likely to decide who controls the White House and the Senate in 2013, Hispanic voters will represent the margin of victory." But will GOP leaders take his advice to heart and will Latinos be receptive?

In 2008 the Obama campaign spent a considerable sum courting the Latino vote, and it paid off. According to a Wall Street Journal article this voting group helped Obama win the White House. But whom will Hispanics back in 2012? And will they turn out as they did in 2008 or stay home?  A recent Pew Hispanic Center noted only 50 percent of eligible Hispanic voters voted in 2008 and even less cast their ballots in 2010. This year there are more than 21 million Hispanic voters, but how many will actually vote? It's the great unknown, but something both parties are tackling. And it's a top priority for political activists in Hispanic communities.

There's another issue that Bush doesn't explicitly cover in his editorial - the economy. It's an issue that Bush's friend, US Senator Marco Rubio, says weighs more heavily with the Hispanic community. The Pew Hispanic Center also highlighted the fact Hispanic voters care more about jobs and the economy than immigration issues (though this is still a hot topic). So what economic policies will campaigns use to court Latino voters? It's still unclear, but in order to capture hearts and votes from this important voting block, both parties need to create a strong economic policy that people can believe and understand.

This is just a sampling of grassroots groups and organizations trying to register Latino voters:
Voto Latino
The Tequila Party
Somos Republicans
Southwest Registration Voter Education Project
The Hispanic Institute
The United States Hispanic Leadership Institute
The Hispanic Federation
The Hispanic Leadership Network (Jeb Bush is Co-Chairman)

Official stances on Latino issues from the DNC and RNC:
RNC: The Latino Vote 2012 memo
DNC: We Are Hispanics

Articles and Reports mentioned in this post:
Miami Herald's Jeb Bush Editorial
Wall Street Journal on 2008 Hispanic Voters
Pew Hispanic Center on Latino Voters in 2012
Pew Hispanic Center on Latinos and Immigration