Perry and Latinos: It's Complicated

A piece in Time earlier this week took a glance at Rick Perry's record with Latinos, quickly touching on such issues as his stance on border security, immigration, and the *dun-dun-dun* "sanctuary cities" bill. This pops up after the Texas Tribune last week ran editorials by two state representatives with differing views on whether Perry is good or bad for Hispanics. State Rep. Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas) argues that Perry's time in office has hurt Hispanics. Anchia mentions the proposed redistricting which would take away the power of the Latino vote, Perry's cuts to education, and *dun-dun-dun* that pesky "sanctuary cities" bill, which Perry called an emergency item so it could be voted on in the Special Session.

On the other side, State Rep. Aaron Peña (R-Edinburg) -- who switched parties in recent years -- praises Perry in a fluff piece light on the issues. Peña applauds Perry's attempts to make the border safer, the historic appointments he has made while in office, and the amount of job creation while the governor has been in office. "Perry will be a great president because he shares our values — values rooted in deep family traditions — and principles like hard work and fair play that are rewards in and of themselves," he writes.

About 67% of the Hispanic vote went to Obama in 2008; it is estimated that Republicans will need at least 40% of the Hispanic vote in battleground states to beat Obama in 2012. Whether Rick Perry is the candidate who can accomplish those numbers remains to be seen.