Breaking Through

Stewart J. Lawrence argues that the GOP is, slowly but surely, beginning to expand its appeal.

...[I]f GOP candidates like [Nikki] Haley and [Marco] Rubio win next month — and many of them will — the GOP’s “pro-ethnic” wing, led by its controversial African-American chairman, Michael Steele, will gain a stronger hand, and may push the party to reach out further than it has to date.

And that could also shape the kind of presidential candidate that finally emerges from the GOP in 2012. A number of prospective contenders, like Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, are gaining in visibility and influence, and will likely emerge as powerful rivals to the likes of Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney. Daniels won 37% of the Latino vote and 20% of the black vote when he won re-election in 2008, impressive numbers for any Republican, especially in a Democratic sweep year. Fast forward to 2012, in a climate of voter antipathy toward Democrats, and greater openness to the GOP, and a candidate like Daniels might do even better.

Maybe the conservatives who have scandalized Daniels' name because of his call for a "truce" on social issues should get behind him instead. Perhaps he's the only Republican who could successfully compete for nonwhite voters in 2012.