“We’re going the way of the dinosaurs, and quick,” said David Johnson, a top GOP strategist in Florida. “The meteor’s already hit, and we’re just trying to wonder what the blast zone will look like.”
Republican leaders awoke Wednesday to witness their grim future. And then they promptly began what promises to be an extended period of internal strife over how a party that skews toward older white men can compete in an increasingly diverse nation.
President Obama’s decisive victory over Mitt Romney served as a clinic in 21st-century politics, reflecting expanded power for black and Hispanic voters, persistent strength among women, a dominant showing among young voters, and even a rise in support among Asians.
Nationally, the steady and inexorable decline of the white share of the electorate continued, dropping to 72 percent, down from 74 percent in 2008 and 77 percent in 2004, according to exit polls.
The Hispanic share ticked higher again, for the first time encompassing one in 10 voters nationally and reaching especially high levels again in states such as Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico, which have become comfortable turf for Democrats.
The breadth of the Democratic dominance was shown across the battlegrounds, where Obama drew the support of different groups to win in different places.
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