Immigration Issues for the Democratic Party

Earlier this month, election results for an Ohio House seat showed an overwhelming majority of voters in the swing state responding positively to the message of tough immigration laws by the winning candidate, Bob Latta.

Republican presidential candidates are turning enforcement of immigration laws into a major decision factor in the upcoming elections. In attack ads by Fred Thompson against Mike Huckabee, Thompson cites Huckabee’s leniency in immigration enforcement as a downfall in his leadership abilities. Thompson accuses Huckabee of governing “like a Democrat.”

The 2008 election has many issues, but immigration enforcement is one of the leading topics for candidates on both sides. Democrats discuss ideas about comprehensive immigration reform, and in comparison to Republicans appear to lean towards a more lenient view of enforcement. This Ohio election result seems to show support for tougher stances on immigration enforcement; it is possible that Democrats may lose some swing votes vital to winning the elections on that issue.

Ideally, this would be balanced by the fact that Hispanic voters are a growing voter demographic in the United States — but how crucial will their role be in the 2008 elections? Republicans are seizing the moment to capitalize on the current larger voting demographic of people who want tougher immigration laws now. Democrats are playing to voters that have been historically difficult to target and have had below-average turnout, and might not be the sort of determining force in the upcoming elections that we hope they will be. Significant effort may be necessary to find a way to increase the voting effectiveness of that demographic.