Perry’s Immigration Views Could Turn Off GOP Base

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry’s moderate views on immigration helped him win 38 percent of the Hispanic vote in his re-election as Texas governor in 2010, an impressive level of support for a Republican. But those views, which include opposition to a border fence and support of education aid for children of illegal immigrants, risk alienating the GOP base, The Hill reports.

“What makes Perry most vulnerable in the Republican primaries is his weakness with the party base on immigration issues and, most acutely, his support of the Texas version of the DREAM Act,” said Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University. “The Texas program and its counterparts in other states are seen as rewards for bad behavior. This is a real point of sensitivity for those in the tea party concerned about ‘the rule of law.’”