Sotomayor, GOP Senators And Hispanic Voters
Much has been made in advance of the confirmation hearings of SCOTUS appointee Sonia Sotomayor about the importance of race in her historic nomination. She would be, of course, the first Hispanic to sit on the nation's highest court. Likewise, with Hispanic voters an ever growing and important political constituency for both parties, lawmakers must consider how their questions to her might be interpreted by this voting bloc. Latino voters backed Barack Obama over John McCain in the '08 presidential contest by a margin of more than two-to-one. Bringing them back to the fold will be critical for Republicans' as they work to revive their influence at the national level.
But the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Cmte., their national aspirations aside, might be less concerned with how their approaches to Sotomayor are viewed by Hispanics. Just two of the seven GOP members hail from a state with an Hispanic population above the national average of 15.1%, according to Census data.
Take a look:
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
TX's Hispanic population: 36%
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
AZ's Hispanic population: 29.6%
BUT ...
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
UT's Hispanic population: 11.6%
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)
OK's Hispanic population: 7.2%
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
IA's Hispanic population: 4%
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
SC's Hispanic population: 3.8%
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
AL's Hispanic population: 2.7%
The GOP is not expected to dwell on the merits of Sotomayor's Puerto Rican roots and up-from-the-bootstraps story. Biography, as an overarching theme of the hearings, is a key part of the Dems' agenda in selling her appointment. It will be interesting to see how many of the GOP members ultimately back Sotomayor; only Graham today suggested he might vote for her. Should a partyline vote against her emerge, these Census numbers -- in addition no doubt to the political implications of an endorsement for Obama's first SCOTUS pick -- might provide one explanation.
(JENNIFER SKALKA)