Sen. John McCain said that while he appeals to Republicans to support immigration reform on principle, he also urges their backing to avoid losing more political ground to Democrats.
It comes down to a matter of politics, he says, according to
The Huffington Post.
“I appeal to the better angels of their nature that we shouldn’t have 11 million people washing around in our society in the shadows — the exploitation, the failure to know who they are and what they’re doing — but I also appeal to their base instincts,” the Arizona Republican he said at a USC Schwarzenegger Institute event in Los Angeles Tuesday.
“And that is to review for them the percent of the Hispanic vote that we’ve gotten in the last several elections, which is dramatically dropping,” he added.
In his 2008 bid for the White House, McCain won 31 percent of the Latino vote. But four years later, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney gained just 27 percent of the Hispanic vote.
"I think we can compete," McCain continued. "But if we don't do this, we can't begin the conversation with our Hispanic voters, and all you have to do is the math. Do the math on the growth of the Hispanic voters in this country.
"So I try to appeal to the better angels but I also find more resonance in the other side of the argument," he added, laughing.
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