Meg Whitman's Play for the Hispanic Vote

Politico reported that: Pete Wilson, a former Republican governor reviled by many Latinos here, promised in a May advertisement that Meg Whitman would be as “tough as nails” on illegal immigration. On Wednesday, less than two months after she won the GOP primary, her campaign for governor will debut a warm-and-fuzzy Spanish-language ad pledging something different — a plan to create jobs for Latinos. Whitman is not the only Republican candidate making a serious play for Hispanic votes this year, but she stands out as the nation’s most prominent test case of whether Republicans can project a welcoming message as the party’s dwindling base clamors for Arizona-style crackdowns on illegal immigration. Her struggle to make inroads with this pivotal constituency, which accounts for one-fifth of California’s electorate, captures in miniature the dilemma facing national Republicans. A hard line on immigration might pay short-term dividends in 2010, yet it might also be a risky gamble against the long-term odds of demography.