GOP decline linked to immigration rise

As immigrants surged into Orange County in the last two decades, the number of poeple voting for Republican presidential candidates in one of the state’s most conservative regions dropped by nearly 18 percent – to just over 50 percent, according to a report by the Center for Immigration Studies.

The correlation between increased immigration and what the study called the Republican “demise” mirrors a nationwide trend in counties, according to the report released Friday by an anti-illegal immigration group, which seeks to curb overall immigration.

In Orange County, the percent of people voting for Republicans in presidential elections dropped from 67.9 percent to 50.2 percent from 1980 to 2008. (click here to see chart). At the same time, the percentage of the foreign-born population increased by about 20 percent in the county, according to James Gimpel, who wrote “Immigration, Political Realignment, and the Demise of Republican Political Prospects.”

Orange County has also seen a drop in Republican voter registration in the last few decades. The GOP fell below having 50 percent of the county’s registered voters in 1999 and slipped to 45.5 percent in 2008.

By comparison, Los Angeles County saw a larger drop in people voting Republican in the last few presidential elections than Orange County, according to the study. As the foreign-born population in Los Angeles County ballooned by nearly 19 percent, people voting for Republican candidates dropped from 50.2% in 1980 to 28.8% in 2008 elections.

Gimpel, a government professor at the University of Maryland, said the term “immigrant” is used in the study to describe both legal immigrants and those who are in the country illegally.

Source:
GOP decline linked to immigration rise
ocregister.com