Robert T. Garrett
The Dallas Morning News
2/24/2010
AUSTIN – A bent to conservatism and family makes Hispanics a promising pool of votes for Republicans, but the party’s targeting of illegal immigrants has withered its attraction.
Regardless, Gov. Rick Perry has fared relatively well, perhaps because of his anti-Washington rhetoric and his careful immigration stance, a recent poll indicates.
It shows more than half of Texas Hispanics call themselves conservative, and a surprising 23 percent say they might participate in Tuesday’s GOP primary. Among those, Perry leads Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison by 2 to 1, according to the poll, commissioned by an Austin consultant for a national group of Hispanic legislative leaders…
… The poll found that only 18 percent of Texas Hispanics say they’re liberal or progressive, while 54 percent say they’re conservative, moderate conservative or religiously conservative.
But Camarillo said many Hispanics who identify themselves as conservative aren’t talking about “less taxes, less government,” the way white conservatives would.
“When a Latino says that he or she is conservative, they’re thinking about how they are raising the kids and … the family,” she said. “It’s more about work ethic, and that when you give your word, you give your word. Those kinds of things are what they’re thinking of. It’s a different frame of mind, and pollsters have yet to define it.” …
The complete article is at Dallas Morning News.
