Lessons from 1994

This morning, NPR’s Ina Jaffee takes us back to 1994 and Governor Pete Wilson’s anti-immigration attack ad.

Jaffee connects the Wilson campaign, and the anti-immigrant Prop 187 of the same year, to the steady decline in Republican registrations within the state of California. Political scientist David Damore, of Latino Decisions, makes the connection explicit:

“The moment when the Latino population is about ready to explode in California and have an impact on politics, the Republicans were pushing a very, very hostile agenda,” said Damore. “The end result is, it’s no longer a competitive state.”

The question is, what does the “California example” mean for the national Republican party?

Following the lead of presidential hopeful Donald Trump, immigration, and, specifically, unauthorized migration, is taking center stage. And it’s meeting a hard line set by Republican hopefuls. In response, Latino attitudes toward Republican nominees are “shifting,” and not in the party’s favor.

All this talk of 1994 calls for a little Jason Aldean to round out your afternoon.

-KitJ