The GOP in general did poorly with Hispanics and took a terrible approach.
First of all, Hispanics are NOT all illegals, and treating them this way did nothing but alienate them and make them feel they would never be considered real Americans by the GOP. Don’t forget, the people the GOP should have reached out to were voting Hispanics, who were therefore legal immigrants or even second or third generation Americans but still living in largely Hispanic areas. Many of these people do not even speak Spanish anymore, or at any rate, not more than a few words to keep the abuelita (grandmother) happy.
They represent a larger minority than blacks, who will never be weaned away from the Dems, and they could have been instrumental in a GOP win. But I think some of the negative rhetoric used by GOP candidates - not McCain, who said virtually nothing - was so toxic that it’s going to be hard to win them now.
I didnt know the GOP was alienating the hispanics sounds like they were bending over frontwards to make new citizens. Probably half the hispanic voter might have taken the conservatives stance against illegals as racist and probably the other half wanted the illegals to follow the rules, wait your turn like everyone else. quite frankly I dont care if we lose half of them.
“But I think some of the negative rhetoric used by GOP candidates - not McCain, who said virtually nothing - was so toxic that it’s going to be hard to win them now.”
As I recall, practically all the negative rhetoric used by GOP candidates was directed explicitly toward illegal immigration. However, the left, and some in the GOP cried
xenophobe and racist every time conservatives criticized illegal immigration. That is what was toxic.