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People rally for comprehensive immigration reform, Friday, Nov. 7, 2014, outside the White House in Washington. After the midterm elections immigration groups are pushing for executive action.

Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press

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SALT LAKE CITY Now that Republicans have prevailed in the midterm elections, it's time for the GOP to pass legislation that shows its capacity to govern and keeps an eye on building the party's electoral base.

The best way for Republicans to demonstrate this capacity is to enact an immigration reform measure even in the lame duck session of Congress this year.

Let's start with some raw political calculations. In 2012, Hispanics favored Democrats over Republicans by 38 percentage points. In Tuesday's election, Republicans had narrowed that difference to 28 percentage points.

GOP Senate candidates in Florida, Colorado and Georgia did better than expected with Hispanic voters. Exit polls showed Texas Gov.-elect Greg Abbott won 44 percent of the Hispanic vote. Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval a Republican of Mexican-American ancestry won re-election, and did so with 47 percent of the Hispanic vote.

The Republican Party needs to build these sorts of alliances to flourish with the next generation of voters. Indeed, the single most important factor in Mitt Romney's presidential loss in 2012 was his very poor showing with Hispanics. He received only 27 percent of their vote, down from George W. Bush's 44 percent in 2004, and even John McCain's 31 percent in 2008. Victory is not sustainable at that level when Latinos constitute up to of 10 percent of the electorate.

Building electoral coalitions solely around race is a shallow form of politics: It lacks a principled foundation. Yet it is impossible to ignore the hardship that our nation's immigration laws impose upon millions of Hispanics.

What's maddening about the debate over immigration is that too many Republicans abandon their beliefs in free markets, freedom of movement and in family stability. They give into fear, not reason, in supporting restrictions on immigration.

Link:
Drew Clark: A vital opportunity for Republicans to act on immigration reform