The Senate showdown over immigration could help Minority Leader Harry Reid energize Latino voters in what is expected to be a tough re-election fight — giving him little incentive to cut a deal.
“There is no political downside for Sen. Reid here,” said Jose Parra, a former staffer for the Nevada Democrat and now head of ProsperoLatino, a Latino-focused public relations firm.
Senate Democrats, led by Reid, have already voted three times to block a House-passed bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, thanks to provisions that would gut President Barack Obama’s executive actions shielding millions of immigrants from deportation.
Another vote — and another filibuster — are expected after the Presidents Day recess as a department shutdown looms at the end of the month.
Reid is no stranger to Latino outreach. And his office is working with churches in Nevada, where the Silver State Democrat’s staff has been holding workshops to help Latinos sign up for the deferred-action programs.
“It’s a tremendous contrast where you have Reid, once again, protecting the community and these [Republican] guys doing everything they can to separate families,” Parra said. “That’s how it’s portrayed in Hispanic media. This is a family unity issue. And you have Reid holding the line, keeping his caucus together.”
According to a report released last month by the Center for American Progress, Latinos will make up almost 19 percent of Nevada’s eligible voters in 2016, up from 16 percent in 2012. Non-Hispanic white voters will drop from 65 percent of eligible voters to 60 percent.
http://blogs.rollcall.com/wgdb/reid-allies-see-immigration-fight-helping-re-election/?dcz=
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