The effect race could have on the race

Joel Kotkin reports:

Trump’s class appeal spills over to racial issues. Unlike wealthier voters, poor whites compete for jobs with immigrants and also tend to live where poor minorities also settle. Overall, according to Pew, voters under financial stress tend to be more concerned about illegal immigration. They also tend to work in fields, such as construction and manufacturing, where the foreign-born constitute a disproportionate share of the workforce.

But it would be a mistake to see Trump’s anti-immigrant message as appealing only to whites. The fact that Trump won the lion’s share of Hispanic Republicans in Nevada against two Latino candidates should alter some presumptions and does not bode well for Cruz and Rubio. One possible overlooked factor: A majority of Latinos, in contrast to their open-borders-minded leadership, according to some surveys, already believe overall immigration levels are too high. What seems like racism to college professors and journalists might seem more like economic salvation to struggling families, even ones with roots in Latin America.

Still, overall, the Republican race is about white voters. Take Harris County, Texas’ largest county, Ted Cruz’s home and among the most diverse places in the country. One Republican consultant notes that Hispanic voters in Harris County are more than four times as likely to vote in a Democratic primary than in a Republican contest, while African Americans in the county are more than 18 times as likely to vote in a Democratic contest. Cruz may win the state Tuesday, but it will be largely because he appeals to hard-right and evangelical voters.

An article well worth your time.