Chad’s Morning Brief: Governor Rick Perry To Speak at CPAC, Hispanic Voters Prefer Democrats, & More

Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of February 26, 2013. Give Chad your feedback below and tune in to The Chad Hasty Show for these and many more topics from 8:30 to 11am.

1. Perry to Speak at CPAC (link)

Governor Rick Perry will speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March. Why is this a big deal? It may be a signal that the Governor is seriously considering another run for the White House. This will be the first time Perry has appeared on the national stage since his failed Presidential run.

Perry is just one of nearly a dozen potential presidential candidates speaking at the mid-March event, which will be held just outside of Washington, D.C. He'll be joined by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.). Mitt Romney will also speak at the event, one of his first public addresses since the presidential election, as will former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), another 2012 GOP also-ran.

I do believe that the Governor wants to run again in 2016. How he is received at CPAC could go a long way in making his decision.

2. Hispanics Lean Blue (link)

According to Gallup, Democrats are doing much better among Hispanics than Republicans.

U.S. Hispanic adults are more than twice as likely to identify as or lean Democratic than Republican, according to Gallup Daily tracking data collected throughout 2012. In total, 51% of Hispanics identified as or leaned Democratic, while a little less than a quarter (24%) identified with or leaned toward the GOP. Twenty percent were wholly independent, with no preferences for either party.

Asked initially about political party identification, half of Hispanics (50%) identify as independent/other or are unsure. Thirty-two percent of Hispanics are outright Democrats and 13% are outright Republicans. The Democratic Party clearly enjoys a comfortable advantage in terms of party identification over its rival, the GOP, among Hispanic voters. However, this Democratic edge may not necessarily be permanent, as 50% of Hispanic voters initially identify with neither major political party. However, when accounting for "leaners," -- independents who prefer one party over the other -- 51% of Hispanics identify or lean with the Democratic Party and 24% opt for the Republican Party. For comparison, 79% of blacks identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party.

It has become a political truism that Hispanic voters played an influential role in the 2012 presidential election and, consequently, there has been a growing focus among both major parties, but especially the currently disadvantaged Republican Party, to find ways to appeal to Hispanic voters. Central to any outreach effort will be young Hispanic voters -- those aged 18 to 34 -- who make up 47% of all Hispanic adults, by far the largest of three specific adult age groups analyzed.

Half of young U.S. Hispanic adults (50%) identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, while slightly less than a quarter (24%) identify as or lean Republican. Another 22% are "pure" independents. Furthermore, young Hispanic adults appear to have political preferences not too dissimilar from their older counterparts', although Hispanics aged 55 and older are slightly more likely to identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party and slightly less likely to identify as pure independents.

Don't count the Republicans out just yet. The problem for Republicans is that they need to reach out and show Hispanics why they fit in with the Republican Party. It can be done, but Republicans must pick up their game.

3. Less Safe (link)

Remember when Democrats would always accuse the Republicans of scare tactics when George W. Bush was President? Now it's time for the Democrats to scare the hell out of people. On Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned that if the sequester happens, the US will be more vulnerable to a terror attack.

Allowing the $85 billion sequester to go forward will make the United States more vulnerable to a terrorist attack, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned Monday.

Napolitano added that the blunt nature of the $85 billion in automatic spending cuts set for March 1 “makes it awfully, awfully tough” to mitigate threats faced by the nation.

“I don't think we can maintain the same level of security at all places around the country with sequester compared to without sequester,” said Napolitano, whose agency includes the Transportation Security Administration.

Scared yet?

Other Top Stories:

Supreme Court to Review the Voting Rights Act

Spending Cuts A Moment of Truth For Tea Party

Empower Texans: Stupidity Isn't Bravery

House GOP Rips Obama

The Media Seems Tired of Michelle Obama

Supreme Court Could Review Concealed Carry Laws

Pet Food Stamps

Pizza and a Coke? Not in NYC.

These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show. Tune in mornings 8:30-11am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.