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At first blush, the census numbers bode ill for the Democrats. Traditionally Republican states like Texas, which picked up four congressional seats, and Arizona, Georgia, Utah and South Carolina, all of which gained a single new seat, showed significant growth, and Democratic leaning states like Massachusetts and Illinois lost a seat and New York lost two.
But, much of the growth in Texas, Nevada, Arizona and Florida comes from Latinos who tend to vote Democratic, a trend that will only increase if the GOP sustains its harsh anti-immigrant stance and nominates anti-immigrant bigots like Sharron Angle. Indeed, according to the Cook Report, of Texas's four new seats, two are expected to go to Democrats and two to Republicans. The biggest, most significant, trend in the next decade will be the "purplization" of Texas. In twenty years it will be blue. Whatever short term gains the GOP might reap will be outweighed in the long-term gains of Democrats unless the GOP comes to reason on immigration. And, that is about as likely as Bishop Olmsted inviting the administrators of St. Joseph's Hospital to his Christmas party.
