Why Latinos are not swing voters

The Pew Hispanic Center released the 2008 National Survey of Latinos, which reaffirms the fact that Latinos are not swing voters. Instead, it shows that Latinos are more solidly Democratic than ever. In 1999, 25 percent were Republicans or leaned that way, compared to 26 percent today. Basically no change. Meanwhile, in 1999 58 percent saw themselves as Democratic, versus 65 percent in 2008. There is no swinging going on.

It is entirely possible that in the near future, the Democratic Party will just see the Latino vote as in the bag, and we will hear less about how sought after it is and more about how the constituency is taken for granted. This, of course, has been a common lament for African American voters.