More Non-White Voters for the GOP

Republicans made significant gains among minorities on Tuesday, but they need to do even better in 2016.

Republicans made historic gains across the country on Tuesday, including significant progress with minority voters. Republican Tim Scott became the first elected black senator from the South. Mia Love became the first Republican woman of African-American descent to be elected to the House, and the GOP Hispanic Caucus gained new members from West Virginia and Florida. But marquee names aside, the effort Republicans made has to be intensified if they are to become more competitive in higher-turnout presidential-election years.

One of Mitt Romney’s great failures in 2012 was that he won only 29 percent of Latino voters and a pathetic 27 percent among Asian voters — considerably down from the support George W. Bush had won from these groups in 2000 and 2004. This year, the GOP’s share of votes from these Americans improved. In the national exit poll for local House races, Democrats won 64 percent of Latino voters and also won Asian voters — but only with 52 percent. Among African Americans, Republican support ticked up slightly from Romney’s 6 percent of the vote to 10 percent. Native Americans, who make up 1 percent of the national electorate, favored Republicans by 52 to 43 percent.

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