A lot of hand wringing has been done over the poor showing of the Republican Party in California for the last few election cycles. The Republican Party has become regional in nature. Rural counties remain red but denser population areas vary in their shades of blue. Orange County is destined to become purple very, very soon. Some parts are already Democratic Party strongholds.
The GOP has a Hispanic voter problem. This is no secret. However, the local GOP apparatus has been slow to recognize this problem exists in Orange County as well. The "OC" will eventually become a Hispanic majority county. Yet, no substantive outreach is being done with this important segment of the vote.
The donor segment of the GOP has, at times, funded Latino candidates. But only in Latino neighborhoods. This fails to recognize that virtually every neighborhood in the county has Latino voters. A subtle racism exists when political organizations believe ethnic voters only exists in enclaves.
The GOP's road back to relevance starts with the Hispanic vote. The worst thing it can do is to tell potential candidates to "wait their turn" or suggest they should run in Santa Ana. Only a proactive candidate recruitment and support effort will turn things around.
Political parties and their popularity are cyclical. Republicans were on the outs following the Watergate Scandal in the 70s. The future of the Republican Party in California rests with the rising Hispanic vote. But will it take the "camino" less traveled?
