It's a fine time to be a Democrat. The William C. Velasquez Institute conducted exit polls of the Latino population in the 8 states that include 82% of all Hispanic voters. Columnist Jose De La Isla commented on the findings—

The 2006 midterm election revealed a lot about the political future of the nation's 44 million-and-growing Hispanics.

Mainly, it showed that the Latino romance with Republicans is over.

.... [N]early seven out of 10 Hispanic voters nationwide favored Democratic candidates, with Republicans appealing to only 27 percent. There was an 11 percent GOP drop from the midterm election in 2002.

The realignment is a shattering setback for President Bush and his adviser, Karl Rove. They have been counting on escorting more Latinos into the Republican ranks to form a new party base as significant as their Southern strategy.
....

Unquestionably, immigration reform did the Republicans in. White voters divided almost right down the middle between Democrats and Republicans on key candidates. The Latino bloc became the fulcrum tilting the contest.

The exit poll found that nationwide Hispanics' concerns were focused on the economy, education and the Iraq war. The dovetailing of Hispanic concerns with the concerns of the Left should provide a wonderful opportunity to bring progressive change, if the Democrats can wean themselves off the corporate megatit long enough to take advantage of the demographics.

Related post
Election 2006: Where have all the "values" gone? (11/22/06)

Tags: * Latino Hispanic poll polls exit poll Velasquez Institute election election 2006 2006 elections immigration