Poll: Bush losing Hispanic support

WASHINGTON -- Hispanic voters, many of whom responded favorably to President Bush's campaign appeals emphasizing patriotism, family and religious values in Spanish-language media in 2004, are turning away from the administration on immigration, according to a new survey.

At the same time, another poll showed conservative white Republicans are the voting group most hostile to the administration's support for policies that would move toward the legalization of many illegal immigrants.

Cumulatively, the data underscore the perils for Bush and his party in the immigration debate churning on Capitol Hill, threatening to bleed away support simultaneously from the Republican base and from Hispanic swing voters, whom Bush strategists had hoped to make an important new part of the GOP coalition.

A survey of 800 registered Hispanic voters conducted from May 11 to Monday by the nonpartisan Latino Policy Coalition showed Democrats were viewed as better able to handle immigration issues than Republicans by nearly 3-to-1: 50 percent to 17 percent. Pitting the Democrats against President Bush on immigration issues produced a 2-to-1 Democratic advantage, 45 percent to 22 percent.

The poll findings indicate Republicans are likely to have a hard time replicating Bush's 2004 performance among Hispanic voters. According to 2004 exit polls, Bush received the backing of 40 percent of Hispanic voters, up from 34 percent in 2000.

Even if the GOP does maintain Bush's margins among Hispanics in 2008, another study found Democrats are likely to achieve a net gain in future elections, simply because Hispanics are growing as a share of the electorate.