GOP pins election hopes on pathway to citizenship

A news story Tuesday in The Arizona Republic newspaper noted that some believe Republicans are taking a big gamble by hoping a bill to allow a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants will attract more Latinos to the party. 

Given the changing demographics that includes a booming Latino population, other say it's Republicans' best bet:

Latino voters come from diverse backgrounds, but they tend to vote largely Democratic, said Joe Garcia, director of Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute Latino Public Policy Center.

Even so, there are several issues important to Latino voters that “line up well” with Republicans, Garcia said.

Those issues include “family, faith, patriotism and small-business entrepreneurship,” in addition to the economy and jobs, he said. 

“When you get the harsh immigration-hardliner issue off the table, the GOP thinks it matches very nicely with some other key elements of what Latino voters are looking for,” Garcia said. “They don’t need to get all the Latino votes, they just need to get a larger chunk in order to make a difference in the elections.”

 Read: Win or lose, immigration risk for GOP