Nine of 10 Republican House Reps Immune to the Latino Vote

There are plenty of people crying foul after the Republican Party's most recent comments playing down the possibility of a breakthrough on the immigration front anytime soon, but the numbers show that a large number of Republican lawmakers are not exactly at the chopping block should no deal arise.

According to NBC, more than 60 percent of House Republicans hail from a district in which they are not threatened by a sizable Latino vote. Also, Republicans facing reelection in a district that does have more than a 10 percent Hispanic population aren't facing a serious Democratic opponent in more than 80 percent of such cases.

That leaves a Republican House in which more than 90 percent of representatives will not have to face a serious backlash for failure to pass some kind of immigration reform.

In Texas for example, a state with a 38 percent Hispanic population, only one current GOP district is considered heavily invested in the Latino vote. That district is currently represented by Blake Farenthold.

"In states that do their own redistricting, they have been very careful about making sure their incumbents are not vulnerable to the Hispanic vote," said Cal Jillson of SMU to NBC.

Republican representatives in California have a much tougher road to hoe.

"This is potentially big trouble for those guys because their party will be held accountable," said Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren to the Contra Costa Times. "Their party is in charge. Their party sets the agenda."

But whether or not the Latino vote threatens enough Republicans to sway the power base in the House is one thing, whether or not being seen as "pro-immigrant" in the eyes of a Tea Party voting bloc prior to the next primary is something else. Many in the GOP seem to be intent on staying in the good graces of the more active elements of the right wing.

"Two or three Republicans going down in California does not swing control of the House," said political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the University of Southern California to the Times. "You've got incumbents in other states who are vulnerable only in the Republican primary to someone who might be more conservative than they are, so the (House) speaker and the (Senate) minority leader can't put them at risk."