Latinos harnessed the power to tip the scale in midterm
elections, wishing farewell to notorious anti-immigrant gubernatorial
candidates such as Tom Trancredo in Colorado, and California's Meg
Whitman. 

Latinos strongly loom in any future political prospects even
for victors like anti-immigrant champion Arizona governor Jan Brewer. In
Arizona Jan Brewer was "reported to have won 28% of the Latino vote" by
national exit polls, yet Latino Decisions an independent Latino-centered poll
found that "ultimately only 14% vote for Brewer in 2010."

Hispanic voters are credited for saving the Democrat
majority in the Senate.

In Nevada specifically, Senate majority leader Harry Reid
was saved by the 90 percent Hispanic vote in his favor. Minority-voter
participation often drops in mid-term elections according to conventional
wisdom, but Hispanic turnout not only remained in California, but also it even
grew in states like Nevada to 22 percent, from 18 percent in 2008.

In Colorado, Democrat Michael Bennet managed to prevail over
"Tea Party" Senate candidate Ken Buck in a closely contested election –47.7 to
46.8 percent- thanks to the a bold Hispanic vote in his favor of 81 percent.

"National Exit Poll surveys, systematically underestimate Latino
and African-American Democratic vote share," according to Latino
Decisions. 

While National Exit Polls estimated Latinos voted 64 percent
Democrat, Latino Decisions shows a much higher 75 percent vote in states such
as Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada, and
Texas. 

In California exit polls suggested anti-immigrant
gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman harnessed 30 percent of the Latino vote,
while Latino Decisions "estimated just 13%".

Three Republican Latino candidates won statewide offices,
New Mexico Susana Martinez and Nevada Brian Sandoval became governors, and in
Florida Marco Rubio won the U.S. Senate race –with 55% Hispanic votes.

Will a Hispanic façade suffice to curry the Latino vote
nationwide based on the Florida experiment?   An enforcement only agenda on immigration will continue
to catalyze a strong Hispanic vote in the opposite direction.