November 8, 2009

Republicans Seek a Path to Revival

Dan Balz
The Washington Post


"After the Republican landslide in 1994, Republicans held a majority of House seats in the South and beyond. After the 2008 elections, Republicans still hold a majority of House seats in the South, but Democrats control about two-thirds of non-Southern seats.

Republicans also face stiff demographic obstacles as they try to come back. They ran poorly among young voters in the past two elections and have seen their strength in the suburbs erode significantly. Their biggest demographic challenge is the changing face of the nation. Last year's electorate was one-quarter minority and is becoming less white with each election.

There is little prospect of real improvement among African Americans as long as Obama is in office. Even among Latinos, Republicans have lost ground. Latinos backed Obama by better than 2 to 1, reversing gains by Bush in 2004. 'The surge in young people was an anomaly, and we can get white suburban women back with the right message,' Republican pollster Whit Ayres said. 'If we lose Latinos en masse, it'll be really hard to get them back.' "


For the full article, click here.