Trump never had a good relationship with Latino voters. It's only getting worse.

By John Wagner and Ed O'Keefe October 9 at 5:39 PM

When President Trump said a few weeks ago that he wanted to find a way to continue protecting young “dreamers” from deportation, some Republicans touted the possibility of a “Nixon goes to China” moment that could reset the president’s deeply frayed relationship with Latino voters. But ever since, Trump has returned to antagonizing this growing segment of the electorate — including proposing new hard-line immigration measures Sunday — deepening a rift that many in his party fear will do lasting damage to the GOP’s ability to win future elections.

Trump’s hostile rhetoric and actions toward Latinos, Republican strategists say, could not only undercut candidates in competitive 2018 races and make the White House harder to retain in 2020 but also further tarnish a GOP brand that party leaders have struggled for years to sell to skeptical Latino voters.

“A whole generation of minority voters is essentially hearing the GOP tell them, ‘We don’t like you,’?” said Doug Heye, a former communications director for the Republican National Committee. “That might not have sunk the GOP against a flawed candidate like Hillary Clinton, but the demographics are moving into a direction where this will be political suicide.”

Trump’s actions have already hurt Republicans’ ability to recruit Latino candidates to run for local and state offices. And they’ve become fodder in the Virginia governor’s race, as well as contests in states such as New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado and Florida, where an energized Latino turnout could tip what are expected to be competitive elections next year.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-never-had-a-good-relationship-with-latino-voters-its-only-getting-worse/2017/10/09/f53cafe2-aa7f-11e7-b3aa-c0e2e1d41e38_story.html